Innovations

In the last three years, San José voters have approved $597 million in general obligation bonds for improvements to parks, libraries and public safety projects throughout City neighborhoods that will help create a more livable community for all residents. San José also boasts several collaborative and innovative neighborhood development programs designed to distribute city resources more equitably. The Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) was formally launched in 2000. This is a partnership of the City of San José, the San José Redevelopment Agency and various neighborhood associations in 20 identified City neighborhoods in need of development. Building on previously successful San José neighborhood and business revitalization efforts, SNI represents a homegrown strategy that transforms the way neighborhoods and the City work together. The purpose of this program is to build strong neighborhoods by developing community leadership and working collaboratively with residents to achieve effective delivery of city services and neighborhood priorities.

The overall SNI goal is to provide meaningful and visible change in each neighborhood through five core focus areas: affordable housing, cleaner neighborhoods, safer and more attractive residential streets, vital business districts, and new parks and community centers. Initial guiding coalitions for each community, called Neighborhood Advisory Committees (NACs), were organized to map out neighborhood assets, strengths, and priorities. The NACs effectively serve as the City's primary contact points to the neighborhoods; they bring together residents, businesses, schools, faith communities and service providers in a single forum. SNI also developed a Project Area Committee, comprised of 52 members representing all 20 neighborhoods, that provides input to the Mayor, City Council and San José Redevelopment Agency about emerging issues and priorities affecting the SNI areas.

The momentum for collaboration created through the SNI process has produced substantive results, and together the neighborhoods and the City have:

•    Organized dozens of new neighborhood associations, tenants groups, and
     business associations as well as strengthened existing ones,
•    Developed and approved 20 plans that lay out the vision and top priorities
     of each individual neighborhood,
•    Developed a capital budget that directly aligns with neighborhood
     priorities and will invest $100 million in neighborhoods for projects
     ranging from building skate parks to closing unsafe alleyways,
•    Assigned cross-functional teams from the City with designated project
     managers to work directly with community liaisons from the neighborhood
     for each top priority,
•    Initiated work on 95 top priority projects, and
•    Implemented service delivery improvements including neighborhood clean-
     ups, housing rehabilitation, upgraded streetlights, and traffic calming
     devices.

The Strong Neighborhoods Initiative is about approaching residents not just as customers, but also as citizens. San José seeks to improve its service delivery to its customers, but it is imperative to engage those same residents in the spirit of local democracy and civic responsibility. Organizing neighborhoods is normally thought to be outside the bounds of what local governments do; however the San José experience suggests that it can be done in a manner that has a profound positive effect on both the neighborhoods and how local government agencies do their business.