4.3.2 Results: values structure
The VFT structure developed for Smalltown CDC is closer to a simple hierarchy
than that of Urban CDC; all objectives are linked only to those on a higher level,
though some links are across two levels (Fig. 5).
Reflecting the broader organizational focus of the VFT session with this CDC,
the structure also includes a greater number of means-ends and fundamental
objectives, and an additional intermediate level of objectives that connect the
means-ends and higher-level fundamental objectives. The fundamental objectives
themselves contain more salient temporal characteristics, with two (quality of CDCowned
properties and quality of area proximate to CDC-owned properties) mediumterm
objectives (i.e., 1–3 years, or roughly one development cycle for the CDC) and
a third (sustainability of neighborhood quality) that is longer term (i.e., observed
after the CDC development is complete). The types of actionable decisions linked to
these objectives, meanwhile, are less specific, and they include interventions in both
residents’ lives (e.g., behavioral interventions, tenant screenings) and the housing
market. Due to the holistic view that CDC staffers had of their mission, we chose
not to articulate a set of specific operational decisions as we had done for the
previous two CDCs.