Summary:

This teaching case presents recurrent points of tension around resident representation in a community planning process: the Santa Centro Community Change Initiative. The case is relevant to current public policy, as outside funders ranging from private foundations to the national government increasingly focus their funding on community-based projects, and these funders often have clear ideas of how the process should unfold. Thus, students of public management, planning, policy and public health will be working in collaborations and facing situations similar to those described. This case pairs well with coursework focused on collaborative governance and management, inclusive management, and community based research methods. Consistent with collaborative management, there is no primary protagonist in this case.