Neighbourhood associations are on the rise. Is that a good thing?

"For years, Evelynne Kobes had chatted with neighbours in her west London community about forming an association. The transformation of a red-brick bungalow on her street into a sprawling multi-unit structure had sparked the idea. From what she could tell, no one was happy with how the renovated property looked.

But what ultimately spurred Kobes to action was a development of a very different kind. “When Trump got elected, it depressed me and then it made me feel the loss of control that I have over that situation,” she says. “But I thought, you know what I can do? I can have a say in what goes on in my community.” And so earlier this year, she formed the Oxford Park Community Association, in the neighbourhood that contains about 375 households."