Future of Community Development
Historically, early civilization and communities desired to increase the welfare of its people through collective efforts. More recently, community development trends seek to capitalize on integrative intentional factors to enrich the lives of its residents. Communities are dynamic and challenging social systems that oftentimes require diverse approaches to achieve community goals. Several schools of thought, such as Postmodernism, Aboriginal, and Feminism, have spawned a more integrative approach that accurately represents the community systems as a whole. As a result, the future of community development is evolving into three intentional approaches for effectiveness.
Holistic Approach
Linkages exist between community infrastructure components: economic base, physical, support, human, and leadership (CDI, 2006). For example, the economic infrastructure necessitates the economy to provide work opportunities and development for residents. Similarly, economic disparity may adversely affect the development of a community. Physical infrastructure...
Support infrastructure involves health care, housing, education, recreation, financial, law enforcement, etc.… Such systems facilitate healthy communities that will perpetuate its existence for many generations. Last, human and leadership infrastructure entails values, vision, family, networking, knowledge, culture, and work ethics. Interlinking the human and leadership components provides holistic backbone. Moreover, the aforementioned infrastructures create the fibers needed to weave a developed community into a thriving and sustaining entity.
Community of Interest
Redefining the definition of community and determining priorities is the basis for this approach. Traditionally, community referred to a place: village of people in close proximity who shared a utilitarianism view of the community's welfare. Today, a community can be extended to…
