Позитивные изменения. Том 2, №4 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 4 (2022)

The most exemplary synchronization of the four steps and the practice of a real neighborhood center was the model of the neighborhood center “We Are Neighbors,” tested and implemented in 2022 by Seven Suns Development. The model features a description of the potential development funnel for each participant in the life of the center — from a single neighbor, through uniting and launching initiatives, to the leader of the local circle, club, community, and so on. Interestingly, this funnel is also the basis for the season ticket system, which has become one of the sources of funding for the center. There is also great interest and anticipation caused by the intention of the leadership of the “We Are Neighbors” network to report in 2023 on the social impact of neighborhood centers and, in particular, the profile of the average participant in the neighborhood center activities — the neighborhood resident, with a focus on the dynamics and changes of the resident's subjectivity.

So now, a century later, we can once again be witnessing the blossoming of neighborhood centers based on social investment by development companies. And discovering new factors influencing the development of this institution given the contemporary specifics.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING MODELS OF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS AND SELF-HELP CLUBS

In the early 2020s, the world entered the post-COVID time gaining a number of important elements of new social capital. In our country, one of them is a movement that grew organically on the basis of self-organization of citizens and communities, which took shape with the direct participation of a number of large NGOs and was called #WeAreTogether (#MYVMESTE) Since 2021, the movement has been managed by the Association of Volunteer Centers (AVC). The initiative is implemented differently in each region, but in 2022 AVC voiced its general aspiration — to create a network of self-help clubs for residents on the basis of this social capital[76].

Some of the experts engaged by AVCs for this transformation work to turn the movement into a club suggest that one possible vector of development could be organizing the residents' activity into neighborhood communities. Often initiated by residents, developers, or local government, they grow into neighborhood centers and their networks.

To see the touching points between neighborhood centers and potential clubs, let us analyze the conditions and possibilities for transforming the largest movement into the logic of neighborhood centers. We propose to do this on the basis of conditional rankings formed by experts in a study of clubs that have already appeared, and a review of various neighborhood center models.

1. The subject of socio-economic development or the object of territorial development.

The willingness to take responsibility and authority for the improvement of living standards in the local area is a clear indicator of readiness to set up a neighborhood center in one's neighborhood. This parameter can also easily be applied to assess the maturity of the local movement.

2. The aggregator and the “capital” of the whole or an autonomous element of social space. The existence of an understanding of the necessity and functionality of the neighborhood center as a space uniting all points of attraction in the neighborhood and at the same time a readiness to unite with other “capitals” of the urban fabric is another important indicator of the potential behind opening and developing a neighborhood center. This same characteristic was evident in the #WeAreTogether movement through 2022.

3. Reliance on internal community resources and self-sufficiency vs. Dependence on the budget (government or corporate).

Having the competencies to inventory, pool and manage the resources and capital of a neighborhood community with payback initiatives is a must for a neighborhood center in a social investment environment. However, for a movement, this component may prove to be the weakest link, since a movement in most regions is not considered in isolation from administrative tasks and resources.

4. Distributed leadership and responsibility among community leaders vs. A rigid control and administration system.

In the case of neighborhood centers, one can encounter the entire spectrum of formats between the two extremes, but in terms of the vision and role of centers, most experts believe it is more logical and strategically accurate to prioritize the first version of the ranking.