ABSTRACT
Bernd Kasemir book, Public Participation in Sustainability Science discusses an integrated assessment approach to participation as applied to stakeholders' attitudes and strategies on climate change. Public participation in community development, design, and environmental planning are common themes in participation literature. Participation in sustainable urban development is not a topic generally dealt with in participation literature except for discussions on participation in Brownfield's redevelopment. This chapter examines the importance and new role of participation in two different neighborhoods in south/central Phoenix, each confronting serious environmental concerns as well as neighborhood degradation and decline. The first case involves a coalition of three neighborhoods whose residents are dealing with industrial hazards, noise, and acute air pollution. The second case is located in a largely poor, African American area which has further deteriorated as a result of a toxic event. The impetus for forming Neighborhoods for Justice (NFJ) evolved from meetings held with the non-profit organization, Neighborhood Partners, with the three different neighborhood associations.
