Background and Purpose
Prior literature has identified cross-sectoral collaboration as a key lever for creating safe, activity-friendly neighborhoods. Current scholarship in sustainability science suggests that cross-sectoral collaboration can span boundaries between knowledge and action by balancing legitimacy (e.g., ensuring a fair, participatory process); salience (enhancing relevance to decision-makers at different levels), and credibility (developing data-driven methods and evidence to support action). However, few studies have critically examined the perceived benefits, drawbacks, and tensions of collaboration among different stakeholders in dynamic community contexts. This study examined the adoption and implementation of a cross-sectoral collaboration to promote safe, healthy neighborhoods in Manchester, New Hampshire. We focused on Manchester’s Weed & Seed (W&S) initiative from 2001-2011, using a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. Originating from a Department of Justice grant, W&S became a catalyst for bringing citizens, law enforcement, public health, social services, and other partners together to create safer, healthier neighborhoods.
Objectives
1. To examine the adoption and implementation of a cross-sectoral, collaborative vision for violence prevention and active living. 2. To examine the perceived benefits, challenges, and lessons learned from the W&S cross-sectoral collaboration.
Methods
Mixed methods were utilized, including qualitative analysis of over 45 historical documents/reports, key informant interviews with 12 primary stakeholders (e.g. community leaders and department directors), a web-based survey of secondary stakeholders (e.g., agency staff and service providers representing 15 different sectors (n=96)), and Photovoice with low-income youth.
Results
Manchester’s W&S initiative successfully created a cross-sectoral, city-wide vision for preventing violence and promoting active living using a social determinants of health lens. Institutional structures, policies, and procedures changed over time to sustain cross-sectoral collaboration. These changes included increased staff time to attend meetings in other departments/organizations, enhanced efforts to reach out to different stakeholders, and increased cross-training of staff to work collaboratively with different departments or organizations. The shared vision and institutional policies/practices were perceived as beneficial by a substantial percentage of stakeholders. for example, over 50% of survey respondents reported that W&S made it “much easier” or “somewhat easier” to have quality relationships with other organizations, to “get invited to the table,” and to have a better understanding of their organization’s role to promote safety, active living and neighborhood health. Several factors were critical to the adoption of the collaborative vision, including: 1) the original W&S mandate from the Department of Justice; 2) key community leaders who served as champions of the vision and acted as effective “boundary spanners”; 3) the institutional placement of W&S personnel across sectors (e.g., the Health and Police Departments); and 4) the utilization of neighborhood-level structures and strategies to support communication and collaboration (e.g., neighborhood watch groups, community policing, and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design).Stakeholders' perceptions of the impact of W&S on safety and active living suggested that improvements had been made in many areas. for example, over 60% of secondary stakeholders reported that Manchester was doing “somewhat better” or “much better” with respect to creating opportunities for healthy eating, fostering trust between residents and law enforcement, improving the physical appearance of neighborhoods, sharing the results of efforts with community organizations, establishing neighborhood watch groups, and adopting strategies to enhance safety in areas where people could be physically active. However, only one-third of stakeholders reported that Manchester was doing “somewhat better” or “much better” with respect to limiting tobacco advertising in areas where youth play, or including the perspectives of senior citizens and youth in planning efforts. Stakeholders also identified several key challenges to fully implementing and sustaining the collaborative vision, including: 1) Reconciling a broad, holistic vision with the need to prioritize specific strategies to effect change, particularly in the context of limited funding; 2) Clearly defining roles and responsibilities in a manner that supports monitoring and accountability; 3) Maintaining sufficient levels of participation and engagement across sectors; 4) Communicating impacts to policymakers and residents; and 5) Envisioning how structures and processes may be redefined as the collaboration evolves. Given these challenges, Manchester has made considerable progress in transforming “small p” policies (organizational and institutional practices/policies and norms), but less progress in influencing “big P” policies-such as legislation, regulations, or city-wide strategic planning initiatives-to support violence prevention and active living.
Conclusions
Overall, W&S established the legitimacy of a cross-sectoral vision to address the intersection of violence prevention and active living by developing a collaborative process that was viewed as transparent and inclusive by many key stakeholders. W&S contributed to the development of new institutional policies, practices, and norms to promote safety and active living. However, stakeholders recognize that certain challenges (e.g., accountability, delineation of roles and responsibilities, and participation) warrant ongoing attention. Findings from this study are currently being disseminated to inform policy processes at various levels, and to support the city’s commitment to neighborhood safety, active living, and quality of life for all residents.
Support / Funding Source
This study was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living Research Program, Grant ID#68495. We thank the City of Manchester for their commitment to this work.
