Building Together: Case Studies in Participatory Planning and Community Building offers a comprehensive exploration of neighborhood developments across various regions including North and South America, Europe, and Africa, covering a span of over forty years. This book is a seminal work on the community-based design practices of participatory planning and advocacy architecture.

Through a series of case studies, the authors, Roger Katan and Ron Shiffman, illustrate the challenges, opportunities, and rewards that come with grassroots collaboration. These case studies are carefully selected for their practical lessons and range in scale from regional urban planning to smaller architectural projects, covering areas as diverse as Harlem, Greenpoint, and the greater New York Metropolitan region to sites in coastal Colombia, southern France, and Burkina Faso, Africa.

Designed to appeal to a wide audience, including community development specialists, faculty and students of planning, architecture, community health, and the social sciences, as well as practicing professionals and decision-makers in economic development and community-based organizations, Building Together is a crucial resource for those interested in creating a more humane and healthy city through participatory democracy.

Social Capital is a comprehensive introduction to the concept of social capital, which defines the intangible resources of community, shared values, and trust that we rely on in everyday life. The term has gained significant traction across the social sciences due to the diverse contributions of Pierre Bourdieu in France, and James Coleman and Robert Putnam in the United States, and has become a central explanation for the observed decline in social cohesion and community values in Western societies.

The book not only delves into the theoretical aspects of the subject but also examines the empirical work that has been conducted to understand its workings. Moreover, it discusses the impact social capital has had on policy-making, particularly within international organizations such as the World Bank and the European Commission.

With its clear and thorough approach, this fully revised third edition of Social Capital offers valuable insights into changing policy perceptions of social capital, its relationship with the internet and economics, and its resilience during challenging times. Complete with guides for further reading and a list of the most important websites, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in the intersection of sociology, politics, and social policy.