Students' Perception of the Design of Common Space and Its Role in Sense of Community and Belonging

Download Students' Perception of the Design of Common Space and Its Role in Sense of Community and Belonging PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 69 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (922 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Students' Perception of the Design of Common Space and Its Role in Sense of Community and Belonging by : Megan Michele Knight

Download or read book Students' Perception of the Design of Common Space and Its Role in Sense of Community and Belonging written by Megan Michele Knight and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Students are now required to live a minimum of their freshman year in the residence halls. This time spent in the residence halls is a time of transition; living on their own, for what may be the first time for many, can be a struggle. Students are adjusting to a new way of life. These residence halls can have a significant influence on students' perception of sense of community. If positive, this may help increase students retention rate after freshman year. It is important to understand this transition, what aids in the transition, and how the physical environment plays a part in this transition as to create a more positive experience for students to come and stay. The purpose of this study was to explore university dormitory residents' perceptions of common areas, and the role of these common areas in their sense of community and belonging. Sense of community is a strong indicator of a successful transition. This study addressed four research questions: Question #1: What are student's general perceptions of common areas? Question #2: How do students use the common space? Question #3: What are students' perceptions of the function and aesthetics design of the common area? Question #4: How do students' use this space to socialize with others? The method used in this study consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted by the student researcher. The participants were recruited through an email listserv as well as in-person convenience sampling. These interviews were conducted in a private room, audio recorded and transcribed for analysis. The data were coded for significant themes. These themes focused on the use of the common space; the aesthetics as well as the students' overall perception of their transition. We see a connection with the physical environment and the students place attachment in terms of experiences shared with other students, regardless of these experiences' being in work or social situations. This membership is how we see the sense of community develop. The students contributed their successful transition to knowing not only the physical environment as well as in relationships formed on campus. This information may aid student housing personnel as they work with students as well as students time on campus, specifically, the students transitioning to campus living. The data may be used in developing student evaluations as well as updates on the residence hall furnishing and equipment. Understanding more about the student experience and their perception of this experience may aid in creating a better student experience and thus result in higher retention rates.

College Students' Sense of Belonging

Download College Students' Sense of Belonging PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1315297272
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (152 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis College Students' Sense of Belonging by : Terrell L. Strayhorn

Download or read book College Students' Sense of Belonging written by Terrell L. Strayhorn and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-09-03 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how belonging differs based on students’ social identities, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, or the conditions they encounter on campus. Belonging—with peers, in the classroom, or on campus—is a critical dimension of success at college. It can affect a student’s degree of academic adjustment, achievement, aspirations, or even whether a student stays in school. The 2nd Edition of College Students’ Sense of Belonging explores student sub-populations and campus environments, offering readers updated information about sense of belonging, how it develops for students, and a conceptual model for helping students belong and thrive. Underpinned by theory and research and offering practical guidelines for improving educational environments and policies, this book is an important resource for higher education and student affairs professionals, scholars, and graduate students interested in students’ success. New to this second edition: A refined theory of college students’ sense of belonging and review of current literature in light of new and emerging theories; Expanded best practices related to fostering sense of belonging in classrooms, clubs, residence halls, and other contexts; Updated research and insights for new student populations such as youth formerly in foster care, formerly incarcerated adults, and homeless students; Coverage on a broad range of topics since the first edition of this book, including cultural navigation, academic spotting, and the "shared faith" element of belonging.

The Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of Built Environments

Download The Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of Built Environments PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bentham Science Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1608054136
Total Pages : 247 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of Built Environments by : Hernan Casakin

Download or read book The Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of Built Environments written by Hernan Casakin and published by Bentham Science Publishers. This book was released on 2012 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In an era of globalization, where the progressive deterioration of local values is a dominating characteristic, identity is seen as a fundamental need that encompasses all aspects of human life. One of these identities relates to place and the physical en"

Students' Sense of Belonging in Study Space

Download Students' Sense of Belonging in Study Space PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (113 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Students' Sense of Belonging in Study Space by : Kelly M. Broughton

Download or read book Students' Sense of Belonging in Study Space written by Kelly M. Broughton and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ideal college campus provides a supportive, inclusive atmosphere for all students, enabling them to challenge their beliefs, extend their understandings, and engage in meaningful learning and knowledge production – inside and outside of the classroom. However, even on a single campus, students do not share uniform perceptions regarding the support and inclusivity of their campus environment. Students who identify with historical marginalized groups regularly report a lower sense of belonging and a less inclusive climate than their privileged peers. Students’ sense of belonging is integral to student success and it is increasingly understood to be tied to social identity, particularly for students who identify with a minoritized group. Sense of belonging is also closely related to a student’s perception of various campus environments. Students’ most immediate experience with campus environments is via the components of campus in which they regularly interact and an important component of the residential campus environment is the informal learning space - the places outside of the classroom in which students choose to do their studying and academic work

Public Space Design and Social Cohesion

Download Public Space Design and Social Cohesion PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429951043
Total Pages : 356 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Public Space Design and Social Cohesion by : Patricia Aelbrecht

Download or read book Public Space Design and Social Cohesion written by Patricia Aelbrecht and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-01-22 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social cohesion is often perceived as being under threat from the increasing cultural and economic differences in contemporary cities and the increasing intensity of urban life. Public space, in its role as the main stage for social interactions between strangers, clearly plays a role in facilitating or limiting opportunities for social cohesion. But what exactly is social cohesion, how is it experienced in the public realm, and what role can the design of city spaces have in supporting or promoting it? There are significant knowledge gaps between the social sciences and design disciplines and between academia and practice, and thus a dispersed knowledge base that currently lacks nuanced insight into how urban design contributes to social integration or segregation. This book brings together scholarly knowledge at the intersection of public space design and social cohesion. It is based on original scholarly research and a depth of urban design practice, and analyses case studies from a variety of cities and cultures across the Global North and Global South. Its interdisciplinary, cross-cultural analysis will be of interest to academics, students, policymakers and practitioners engaged with a range of subject areas, including urban design, urban planning, architecture, landscape, cultural studies, human geography, social policy, sociology and anthropology. It will also have significant appeal to a wider non-academic readership, given its topical subject matter.

The Image of the City

Download The Image of the City PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 9780262620017
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Image of the City by : Kevin Lynch

Download or read book The Image of the City written by Kevin Lynch and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1964-06-15 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic work on the evaluation of city form. What does the city's form actually mean to the people who live there? What can the city planner do to make the city's image more vivid and memorable to the city dweller? To answer these questions, Mr. Lynch, supported by studies of Los Angeles, Boston, and Jersey City, formulates a new criterion—imageability—and shows its potential value as a guide for the building and rebuilding of cities. The wide scope of this study leads to an original and vital method for the evaluation of city form. The architect, the planner, and certainly the city dweller will all want to read this book.

Designing a Sense of Community: Using Social Theory to Inform Public Space Design

Download Designing a Sense of Community: Using Social Theory to Inform Public Space Design PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 206 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (865 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Designing a Sense of Community: Using Social Theory to Inform Public Space Design by : Samantha Stone

Download or read book Designing a Sense of Community: Using Social Theory to Inform Public Space Design written by Samantha Stone and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To design for a true sense of community, designers must integrate social scientists' theories of community with functional programmatic requirements to inform public space design. The design of a public space in Uptown, Charlotte with local commerce and mass transit programs is the vehicle for this exploration. Research into social scientists' definitions of community yielded the important insight that community must exist simultaneously in the twin realms of the intangible and the tangible. The intangible experiences necessary to create a sense of community are determined to be: identity, belonging, joint action, and personal authority. These experiences are reconciled by tangible place that creates the social opportunities for these interactions. The tangible macro-scale programmatic elements to create the place are determined to be: mass transit, local commerce, public venues, and architectural iconography. These programmatic elements can thus be distilled into their micro-scale elements which may then be reorganized according to their associated experiences to create the opportunity for sense of community to develop.

Architecture

Download Architecture PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118004825
Total Pages : 1784 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (18 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Architecture by : Francis D. K. Ching

Download or read book Architecture written by Francis D. K. Ching and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-07-16 with total page 1784 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A superb visual reference to the principles of architecture Now including interactive CD-ROM! For more than thirty years, the beautifully illustrated Architecture: Form, Space, and Order has been the classic introduction to the basic vocabulary of architectural design. The updated Third Edition features expanded sections on circulation, light, views, and site context, along with new considerations of environmental factors, building codes, and contemporary examples of form, space, and order. This classic visual reference helps both students and practicing architects understand the basic vocabulary of architectural design by examining how form and space are ordered in the built environment.? Using his trademark meticulous drawing, Professor Ching shows the relationship between fundamental elements of architecture through the ages and across cultural boundaries. By looking at these seminal ideas, Architecture: Form, Space, and Order encourages the reader to look critically at the built environment and promotes a more evocative understanding of architecture. In addition to updates to content and many of the illustrations, this new edition includes a companion CD-ROM that brings the book's architectural concepts to life through three-dimensional models and animations created by Professor Ching.

The Academic Third Place: Examining Physical Space and First-year Student Sense of Belonging at a Commuter Campus

Download The Academic Third Place: Examining Physical Space and First-year Student Sense of Belonging at a Commuter Campus PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 182 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (12 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Academic Third Place: Examining Physical Space and First-year Student Sense of Belonging at a Commuter Campus by : Jazmin Nicol Campos

Download or read book The Academic Third Place: Examining Physical Space and First-year Student Sense of Belonging at a Commuter Campus written by Jazmin Nicol Campos and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First-year students experience many challenges as it relates to transitioning from high school to college and establishing a strong sense of belonging. Sense of belonging, identified in Maslow's hierarchy of needs (1943), has been tied to persistence and retention, particularly in first-year students (Hurtado & Carter, 1997) and commuter students (Newbold, Mehta, & Forbus, 2011). First-year seminars and learning communities have been identified as effective methods in fostering sense of belonging (Young & Hopp, 2014). Physical spaces may be able to encourage positive peer, faculty, or staff interactions, which in turn, can foster sense of belonging (Temple, 2008). The sociological theory of the third place (Oldenburg, 1999) postulates that students require a place between home and school, called the third place, to forge bonds with peers. Past research suggests that the academic library can function as the third place on a campus (Montgomery & Miller, 2011). The purpose of this study was to determine whether a shared study space affects first-year students' sense of belonging at a commuter campus. The study also aimed to explore how and why first-year students and commuter students used a first-year study space to make recommendations to educational leaders. The study took place at a four-year public institution in Northern California. First-year students were e-mailed a link to an online questionnaire containing items regarding various student demographics (including commuter status), the first-year experience, use of a shared study space, and sense of belonging. The quantitative and qualitative data were aggregated for analysis and common themes were identified and explored within the data. The study provided various findings regarding sense of belonging and overall use of physical space. No direct correlations were found between use of the first-year study space and sense of belonging. However, the participants in the study used the first-year study space for academic study, which aligned with Tinto's theory of academic integration. Additionally, the characteristics of the first-year study space aligned with characteristics of the third place outlined by Oldenburg (1999). Students were much more likely to use the first-year study space if they were enrolled or had been enrolled in a first-year seminar. Additionally, the most used service in the first-year study space were peer mentor services. One of the recommendations provided in the study was to offer peer mentor services to those students not enrolled in a first-year seminar to encourage them to use the first-year study space. Additionally, another recommendation was to locate resources in the first-year study space to maximize the utilization of resources by first-year and commuter students alike. The findings guided implications for educational leaders who can benefit from knowing the benefits of creating a study space for students. Leaders should be able to make decisions about space allocation that are not only cost-effective but also effective in engaging students. Recommendations for future study included further exploring connections between study spaces and sense of belonging for other students in transition, such as transfer students.

In Search of a Third Place on Campus

Download In Search of a Third Place on Campus PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 202 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (118 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis In Search of a Third Place on Campus by :

Download or read book In Search of a Third Place on Campus written by and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite decades of environmental behavior research demonstrating the impact physical space has on human behavior, the American university has been slow to adopt this data into campus design and renovation plans. Campus ecology literature has demonstrated that the physical environment of the university campus communicates messages that influence students' feelings of well-being, mattering, and inclusion within the campus community, all significant contributors to student learning and retention. Campus spaces designed for community building are essential to cultivate a sense of belonging for university students, however, locations dedicated to this type of social interaction, such as third places, are an often-underestimated consideration within built campus design. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to explore the effects of built space on students' sense of belonging as fostered through the identification and utilization of third places on campus, and to assess if the built campus environment is important for supporting an institutional commitment to a vibrant campus community. The data for this exploratory study was collected through a qualitative embedded case study including student and employee interviews and campus observation at a small, rural, residential, private university in the Pacific Northwest of the United States whose institutional values identify a commitment to nurturing a robust student community. The five key findings of the study were: the impact of campus topography on student engagement, the social importance of campus pathways, the effect of location on building use, the influence of place-based campus traditions on students' sense of belonging, and the correlation between sense of belonging and campus third places.

Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research

Download Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9789400707528
Total Pages : 7347 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (75 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research by : Alex C. Michalos

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research written by Alex C. Michalos and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-02-12 with total page 7347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this encyclopedia is to provide a comprehensive reference work on scientific and other scholarly research on the quality of life, including health-related quality of life research or also called patient-reported outcomes research. Since the 1960s two overlapping but fairly distinct research communities and traditions have developed concerning ideas about the quality of life, individually and collectively, one with a fairly narrow focus on health-related issues and one with a quite broad focus. In many ways, the central issues of these fields have roots extending to the observations and speculations of ancient philosophers, creating a continuous exploration by diverse explorers in diverse historic and cultural circumstances over several centuries of the qualities of human existence. What we have not had so far is a single, multidimensional reference work connecting the most salient and important contributions to the relevant fields. Entries are organized alphabetically and cover basic concepts, relatively well established facts, lawlike and causal relations, theories, methods, standardized tests, biographic entries on significant figures, organizational profiles, indicators and indexes of qualities of individuals and of communities of diverse sizes, including rural areas, towns, cities, counties, provinces, states, regions, countries and groups of countries.

Physical Design and Sense of Community

Download Physical Design and Sense of Community PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 546 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (548 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Physical Design and Sense of Community by : Douglas A. Rothe

Download or read book Physical Design and Sense of Community written by Douglas A. Rothe and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Download School, Family, and Community Partnerships PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Corwin Press
ISBN 13 : 1483320014
Total Pages : 508 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (833 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis School, Family, and Community Partnerships by : Joyce L. Epstein

Download or read book School, Family, and Community Partnerships written by Joyce L. Epstein and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2018-07-19 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education

Download The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030645371
Total Pages : 788 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (36 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education by : Margaret L. Kern

Download or read book The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education written by Margaret L. Kern and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021 with total page 788 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The approaches outlined in this volume will help expand the narrow focus on academic success to include psychological well-being for students and educators alike. It is a must-read for anyone interested in how positive outcomes such as life satisfaction, positive emotion, and meaning and purpose can be optimized in the educational settings." -- Judith Moskowitz, PhD MPH, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA, IPPA President 2019-2021 This open access handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the growing field of positive education, featuring a broad range of theoretical, applied, and practice-focused chapters from leading international experts. It demonstrates how positive education offers an approach to understanding learning that blends academic study with life skills such as self-awareness, emotion regulation, healthy mindsets, mindfulness, and positive habits, grounded in the science of wellbeing, to promote character development, optimal functioning, engagement in learning, and resilience. The handbook offers an in-depth understanding and critical consideration of the relevance of positive psychology to education, which encompasses its theoretical foundations, the empirical findings, and the existing educational applications and interventions. The contributors situate wellbeing science within the broader framework of education, considering its implications for teacher training, education and developmental psychology, school administration, policy making, pedagogy, and curriculum studies. This landmark collection will appeal to researchers and practitioners working in positive psychology, educational and school psychology, developmental psychology, education, counselling, social work, and public policy. Margaret (Peggy) L. Kern is Associate Professor at the Centre for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education, Australia. Dr Kern is Founding Chair of the Education Division of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). You can find out more about Dr Kern's work at www.peggykern.org. Michael L. Wehmeyer is Ross and Mariana Beach Distinguished Professor of Special Education; Chair of the Department of Special Education; and Director and Senior Scientist, Beach Center on Disability, at the University of Kansas, United States. Dr Wehmeyer is Publications Lead for the Education Division of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). He has published more than 450 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and is an author or editor of 42 texts. .

Public and Private Spaces of the City

Download Public and Private Spaces of the City PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134519850
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (345 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Public and Private Spaces of the City by : Ali Madanipour

Download or read book Public and Private Spaces of the City written by Ali Madanipour and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-09-02 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The relationship between public and private spheres is one of the key concerns of the modern society. This book investigates this relationship, especially as manifested in the urban space with its social and psychological significance. Through theoretical and historical examination, it explores how and why the space of human socities is subdivided into public and private sections. It starts with the private, interior space of the mind and moves step by step, through the body, home, neighborhood and the city, outwards to the most public, impersonal spaces, exploring the nature of each realm and their complex, interdependent realtionships. A stimulating and thought provoking book for any architect, architectural historian, urban planner or designer.

Common Space

Download Common Space PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1783603291
Total Pages : 318 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (836 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Common Space by : Associate Professor Stavros Stavrides

Download or read book Common Space written by Associate Professor Stavros Stavrides and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-02-15 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Space is both a product and a prerequisite of social relations, it has the potential to block and encourage certain forms of encounter. In Common Space, activist and architect Stavros Stavrides calls for us to conceive of space-as-commons – first, to think beyond the notions of public and private space, and then to understand common space not only as space that is governed by all and remains open to all, but that explicitly expresses, encourages and exemplifies new forms of social relations and of life in common. Through a fascinating, global examination of social housing, self-built urban settlements, street trade and art, occupied space, liberated space and graffiti, Stavrides carefully shows how spaces for commoning are created. Moreover, he explores the connections between processes of spatial transformation and the formation of politicised subjects to reveal the hidden emancipatory potential of contemporary, metropolitan life.

Communities in Action

Download Communities in Action PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309452961
Total Pages : 583 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Communities in Action by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Communities in Action written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-04-27 with total page 583 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.