Pathways through Crisis examines the formation and activities of emergent organizations by means of which urban Americans frequently respond to crises in metropolitan life. The crises considered here range from natural dis- asters and epidemics to events not usually recognized as a community crisis, such as widespread layoffs or massive arrivals of immigrants, both of which may create strains within a locale. When such crises occur, city dwellers of- ten discover that for a variety of reasons established mechanisms cannot respond adequately to the community’s needs.