Commentary: Neighborhood Associations and Homeowner Associations: Do They Really Make a Difference in Your Community?

• Author: Victor T. Turner
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12818
• Published date: 01 September 2017
• Date: 01 September 2017

718 Public Administration Review • September | October 2017

Public Administration Review,

Vol. 77, Iss. 5, pp. 718–719. © 2017 by

The American Society for Public Administration.

DOI: 10.1111/puar.12818.

Neighborhood Associations and Homeowner Associations:

Do They Really Make a Difference in Your Community?

Victor T. Turner directs the Department

of Housing and Neighborhood Programs

for Little Rock, Arkansas. He is certified as a

Housing Development Finance Professional

by the National Development Council.

E-mail: vturner@littlerock.gov

Commentary

I n many communities across the United States,

residents have begun to return to the city from the

suburbs. For many, living closer to downtown in

older, more traditional neighborhoods has come into

vogue. As more people return to older neighborhoods

and demand the quality of life experienced in

the suburbs, questions arise regarding “sublocal”

governance organizations (SLGOs, i.e., neighborhood

associations, property owner associations) and their

impact on neighborhoods.

One factor that residents typically evaluate when

making a decision regarding acquiring a home is

whether property values are rising or declining in a

particular neighborhood. Another factor that may not

always be included as part of the resident ’ s analysis is

the presence of an active neighborhood association or

the existence of a homeowner association or property

owner association. The limited research regarding the

impact of neighborhood/homeowner associations on

property values tends to verify that these organizations

are valuable and true assets to the community. There

are many examples in which an active voluntary

neighborhood association, which has its finger on

the pulse of the community, is as effective as an

involuntary homeowner or property owner association

that requires payments in stabilizing neighborhoods.

Michael Craw ’ s article on the subject makes a valuable

contribution to this field. My own experience

supports its finding that the organizational form or

difference between homeowner associations versus

neighborhood associations has minimal relevance in

terms of property value. Many times, it is one true

champion in a community that mobilizes residents

to take pride in their neighborhood, thus resulting

in better maintenance of properties, which impacts

property values. In Little Rock, there are many

examples of champions in their neighborhoods that

are the lifeblood of their associations. This can have

a negative effect if the organization lacks enough

organizational complexity to endure for the long

haul. Sometimes, the neighborhood champion burns

out or leaves, which can lead to the decline of the

neighborhood association and the community.

Craw ’ s article notes that the organizational complexity

of neighborhood associations can have a larger effect

on property values than homeowner associations.

Because neighborhood associations tend to lack many

of the resources available to homeowner/property

owner associations, sometimes having more human

resources assisting can make a difference.

As with any municipality, finding ways to better

serve the public and empower residents to take some

responsibility in improving their neighborhoods

is paramount. The City of Little Rock makes a

substantial investment in cultivating leaders to

increase social capital and inform neighborhood

organizations of meetings and conferences (i.e.,

Neighborhoods USA) to obtain more knowledge

to professionalize their associations. As the author

mentions, local government may find such

investments more cost-effective than instituting new

neighborhood-serving entities from the top down.

The author mentions the use of neighborhood-level

data and the geographic information systems to

expand capacity and better measure outcomes at the

local level. Also, municipalities can help neighborhood

and homeowner associations be more informed about

their communities by creating tools to allow residents

easy access to information, such as an open data portal

for public viewing. Several municipalities across the

country, including Little Rock, have adopted this

vehicle to measure outcomes and services down to

the neighborhood level. Information such as crime

statistics, building permits, and code violations enable

SLGOs to know more about what is impacting their

neighborhoods.

Municipalities can go a step further in empowering

neighborhood organizations by teaching them how

to access and utilize the data. For example, the City

of Little Rock is sharing information regarding

Victor T. Turner

City of Little Rock, Arkansas