This ninth volume in the series deals with a fascinating and complex
topic in the environment and behavior field. Neighborhoods and com-
munities are in various stages of formation and transition in almost
every society, nation, and culture. A variety of political, economic,
and social factors have resulted in the formation of new communities and
the transformation of older communities. Thus we see nomadic people set-
tling into stable communities, new towns sprouting up around the world,
continuing suburban sprawl, simultaneous deterioration, re- newal and
gentrification of urban areas, demographic changes in com- munities, and
so on. As in previous volumes, the range of content, theory, and methods
represented in the various chapters is intended to be broadly based,
with perspectives rooted in several disciplines-anthropology, history,
psychology, sociology, urban studies. Although many other disciplines
also play an important role in the study and understanding of neigh-
borhoods and community environments, we hope that the contributions to
this volume will at least present readers with a broad sampling-if not a
comprehensive treatment-of the topic.