Future of Community Development Historically, Early Civilization

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 entails communities' access to basic resources, such as water, electric, transportation, etc.… Chiefly, lack of accessibility will affect the productivity and hence, its development into a viable community.

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 include interests in various areas: a region, state, county, city, and neighborhood (Vidal and Keating, 2004). Accordingly, each extension may have various interests that may include ecological, economic, and social. Within each interest lie priorities that may be conflicting among its residents. To minimize conflicts, networking is deemed as a feasible method to connect like-minded individuals with the same interests and flexible boundaries.

Asset Based Discovering and leveraging the community's current assets denotes this approach. Instead of solving problems, building from existing strengths becomes the emphasis. Being visionary and speculating possible needs will better prepare future generational communities. The power of grass-root efforts becomes paramount, which seeks to draw strengths from local associations and its residents. Meeting current residents' needs without jeopardizing future community needs is the basis for this approach. Emphasis is providing a long-term focus, interlinking infrastructures, and capitalizing strengths (Zautra & Murray, 2009).

Conclusion The future of community development is evolving into three intentional approaches for effectiveness. Each.