About

The Binghamton Neighborhood Project is a collaboration between Binghamton University faculty and community partners to understand and improve the quality of life in our region. We are using the most recent social scientific theory and methods to measure and improve human welfare on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

The Binghamton Neighborhood Project is associated with EvoS, Binghamton University’s campus-wide evolutionary studies program. EvoS provides a theoretical framework for understanding individuals in the context of their community and their environment, as well as a network of over 50 faculty spanning over 15 departments. Other academic units associated with the Binghamton Neighborhood Project include BU’s GIS Core Facility and the Center for Applied Community Research and Development (CACRD).

Neighborhoods are Important

Our quality of life depends largely upon our daily interactions; how we are treated by our family, neighbors, and associates at school or work. This fact might seem obvious and is captured by the famous proverb “It takes a village to raise a child.” Yet, most psychological and social scientific research focuses on individuals, usually college students, without any regard to their local social environment. Taking the “obvious” fact seriously requires studying people from all walks of life as they go about their daily lives. Moreover, this kind of research must be fully collaborative, with the “subjects” (members of the community) interacting with the “scientists” during all phases.

The Binghamton Neighborhood Project is based on these principles. It is a whole-city, whole-university endeavor.

Become Involved

We think that the Binghamton Neighborhood Project can become a model of community-based research informed by modern scientific theory and methods. This framework provides unprecedented benefits to the community in the form of scientific consulting, assessment, and intervention services custom-tailored to the needs of your organization and nature of your neighborhood.

• Agencies and organizations based in our area can become partners.
• Individuals in our area can become involved in research on a volunteer basis.
• Individuals and funding organizations can support our efforts with a tax-deductible financial contribution. Even small donations can be put to very good use.

Please contact us to become involved.