Publications

As the national program office for the ten-year Urban Health Initiative, the ICC catalogued many of the lessons learned with regard to developing change agent organizations and securing and sustaining change in cities. The ICC created these publications to be of use to others interested in community change efforts. They are freely available by following the links. For information about these publications, contact the ICC at 206-812-1193 or email croyer@instituteforcommunitychange.org.

Moving the Bureaucracy
Securing the policy change is often the "easy" part.  What innovative strategies did UHI sites employ to help bureaucracies carry out policy changes, and to ensure that the reforms live beyond changes in administration?  How did UHI sites help bridge institutional differences to help bureaucracies work together in new ways?
(Click here for full article.)

Developing Local Infrastructure:  The Salience of Muddling Through
A challenge to expanding services to a dramatically larger scale involves the local infrastructure.  Some intermediary may have to be created or restructured to "get/give/manage" money.  Each UHI site took a different approach to developing this infrastructure. What were the benefits and trade-offs of these approaches?
(Click here for full article.)

Enlisting Leaders in Community Change:  The UHI Fellows Program
The UHI created the Fellows Program to enlist the assistance of influential community leaders to the cause of improving the health and safety of children.  In what ways were the Fellows involved in the local UHI efforts?  What were the challenges to engaging senior-level volunteers in meaningful ways?
(Click here for full article.)

Sustainable Funding for Program Strategies
How can significant amounts of long-term funding be mobilized for programs for children?  What revenue streams have been created or redirected with the help of the UHI campaigns?
(Click here for full article.)

The Experience of an Intermediary in a Complex Initiative:  The Urban Health Initiative's
National Program Office
Why would a foundation use an intermediary to manage a multi-site initiative?  What are the important aspects of the relationships among a foundation, intermediary and local sites?
(Click here for full article.)

Communications Planning by Change Agents
How has communications furthered the goals of UHI campaigns?  What issues should be considered before developing a comprehensive communications plan?
(Click here for full article.)

Using Data in the Decision-Making Process
How did data guide the UHI campaigns?  How did the campaigns collect and analyze the data they needed?  In what ways was data used as a political and communications tool?
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Political Strategizing in a Constantly Changing Environment
What tactics did UHI campaigns employ to survive and thrive during political change?  What do change agents need in order to be prepared for change?
(Click here for full article.)

Reflections on the Start-Up of the Urban Health Initiative
What could have been done differently to get the UHI campaigns up and running more effectively?  What can potential sponsors of community change efforts learn from the UHI start up?
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The Origins of the Urban Health Initiative
What were the motivations of those who developed the UHI as a large-scale community change effort?  When early decisions and choices were made, what factors were considered?
(Click here for full article.)