Final reflections from the Action for Neighbourhood Change research project : Transition : dernières réflexions entourant la recherche-action Quartiers en essor

The project aimed to better understand two interrelated aspects of the neighbourhood strengthening process: 1) building capacity of individuals, families and neighbourhoods; and 2) enhancing the responsiveness of government to neighbourhood concerns. [...] Many participants reflected that they had to take big, personal and professional risks to engage in ANC due to the fact that the principle of resident-led change and the commitment to learning and course correcting meant that the path to desired results was not known at the beginning. [...] Details in the three sets of community stories document the challenges and the processes used in each city to lead and manage change in a complex environment. [...] The potential to leave one role unfulfilled was avoided for the most part because of the skill and commitment of the individual public servants who sat on the steering committee. [...] Of particular note for this theme is the contribution made by the Neighbourhood Vitality Index to the body of knowledge for place-based measurement and evaluation of neighbourhood assets and change variables.