American cities are increasingly turning to revitalization strategies that embrace the ideas of new urbanism and the so-called creative class in an attempt to boost economic growth and prosperity to downtown areas. These efforts stir controversy over residential and commercial gentrification of working class, ethnic areas. Spanning forty years, Latino City provides an in-depth case study of the new urbanism, creative class, and transit-oriented models of planning and their implementation in Santa Ana, California, one of the United States’ most Mexican communities. It provides an intimate analysis of how revitalization plans re-imagine and alienate a place, and how community-based participation approaches address the needs and aspirations of lower-income Latino urban areas undergoing revitalization. The book provides a critical introduction to the main theoretical debates and key thinkers related to the new urbanism, transit-oriented, and creative class models of urban revitalization. It is the first book to examine contemporary models of choice for revitalization of US cities from the point of view of a Latina/o-majority central city, and thus initiates new lines of analysis and critique of models for Latino inner city neighborhood and downtown revitalization in the current period of socio-economic and cultural change. Latino City will appeal to students and scholars in urban planning, urban studies, urban history, urban policy, neighborhood and community development, central city development, urban politics, urban sociology, geography, and ethnic/Latino Studies, as well as practitioners, community organizations, and grassroots leaders immersed in these fields.

Mobilizing Public Sociology, coedited by Victoria Carty and Rafael Luévano, combines theory and scholarly perspectives with a grassroots approach to challenges that Latin@ immigrants face in the United States. Public sociology calls for scholars and community activists and practitioners to engage in dialogue and to work together in the struggle for social justice. The contributors to this collection—scholars, immigrants, practitioners, and community activists—share their scholarly perspectives and personal experiences on a wide range of issues related to immigration, including deportation and criminalization, undocumented youth and higher education, legislation, and community activism. The collection encourages ongoing collaboration in dealing with some of the most pressing problems affecting our communities with the hope of breaking down barriers and misconceptions. Contributors are: Amelia Alvarez, Fawn Bekam, Victoria Carty, Kristin E. Heyer, Patricia Huerta, Rusty Kennedy, Oliver Lopez, Rafael Luévano, Raquel R. Marquez, Eileen McNerney, Patrick Murphy, Jerry Price, Lisa D. Ramirez, Harriett D. Romo, Suzanne SooHoo, Madeleine Spencer, Daniele Struppa, and Bishop Kevin William Vann.

Beginning with the foundations of community development, An Introduction to Community Development offers a comprehensive and practical approach to planning for communities. Road-tested in the authors’ own teaching, and through the training they provide for practicing planners, it enables students to begin making connections between academic study and practical know-how from both private and public sector contexts. An Introduction to Community Development shows how planners can utilize local economic interests and integrate finance and marketing considerations into their strategy. Most importantly, the book is strongly focused on outcomes, encouraging students to ask: what is best practice when it comes to planning for communities, and how do we accurately measure the results of planning practice? This newly revised and updated edition includes: increased coverage of sustainability issues, discussion of localism and its relation to community development, quality of life, community well-being and public health considerations, and content on local food systems. Each chapter provides a range of reading materials for the student, supplemented with text boxes, a chapter outline, keywords, and reference lists, and new skills based exercises at the end of each chapter to help students turn their learning into action, making this the most user-friendly text for community development now available.