ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a review of urban theory that discusses the different political arenas in which citizen participation reforms may change patterns of policy formulation and service delivery to promote self-governance. It describes the research objectives and methodology, followed by an examination of the way that different political narratives appeared during the development and implementation of neighborhood councils. Examining the implementation process highlights the mobilization of resources to attain the charter goals as interpreted by city and community actors thereby shedding light on the goals and resources of the major actors in this drama. First, the protracted planning process, and the perceived resistance of City Hall to neighborhood governance, provided impetus for a movement of community activists to begin organizing their neighborhoods for self-governance. Secondly, at least in part due to pressure from these dedicated community activists, the debate regarding neighborhood council self-determination was largely decided in favor of self-governance and self-organization at the grass roots.
