Chicago's Block Clubs

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Whether focused on flower gardens, street crime, or aesthetic conformity, urban block clubs are unusual quasi-institutions that can establish or maintain a neighborhood s appearance, social dynamics, and quality of life. But what is a block club? And how does it function? Is it a definable institution, with codifiable practices and expectations, or is it merely an assemblage of like-minded citizens who happen to live near one another? What makes one such group effective and long-lasting, while most evaporate after a few years of communal activity? These are some of the questions that Amanda Seligman addresses in her deeply researched study."