Introduction . The work of the North End Housing Project (NEHP) was an attempt to apply a number of theoretical orientations to the problem of decline in an inner city neighborhood of Winnipeg. Although the focus of the program was housing, NEHP moved well beyond this focus to address problems of neighbourhood distress in an integrated and multidimensional way. It used a cluster strategy in housing development to create a critical mass of new residences that could have an impact on neighbourhood housing markets. It took a convergence approach to community economic development that directed local production to meet local basic needs. The project used the concept of social capital to build social ties among neighborhood residents, to provide mutual support among families, and to enable the community to address its needs more effectively. Finally, the project engaged with Aboriginal residents to explore a cultural basis for community building and to acquire the means to influence neighbourhood affairs.The pages that follow describe this comprehensive approach to neighbourhood development. The initial chapter traces the policy context and urban expansion dynamics that contribute to core area decline. It is followed by a discussion of potential strategies for addressing decline at the neighbourhood level. These include the economic, social, cultural, and physical dimensions of renewal.The study was, in many ways, an example of participant observation. The author was a member of the Board of Directors of NEHP and of Inner-City Renovations, Inc. The author was on the Boards of both organizations from their inception until the completion of the study. This position within the decision-making process of these programs permitted insights into evolution of strategies and gave access (with permission) to the organizational data included in the study. The result provides a detailed review of development planning and outcomes.Having outlined theoretical orientations to appropriate neighborhood development, the study focused on measurement of the impact of NEHP in the William Whyte neighbourhood. The evaluation of the initiative began by assessing the effects of NEHPs cluster approach on local housing markets.The study assesses the community economic development dimensions of NEHPs work.The study undertakes a qualitative assessment of community building efforts in the William Whyte neighborhood.The NEHP approach was experimental. It attempted to combine a number of development strategies within one integrated program.