COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

An Introduction
 What is a Community?
Place

Population

Political system “Community” must be defined so

Dimensions of Community stakeholders can be identified and
appropriately involved in the various
Social organization stages of the community development
process.
Cultural system

Economic system
 I. Community Environment
The capacity and ability to define
a community, describe and understand its unique environment,
and take responsibility for community issues and common
purposes.
Sense of Community
Chaskin
• …a degree of connectedness among members and a
recognition of mutuality of circumstance
• One component may be the existence of a threshold level
of collectively held values, norms, and vision
• It may include both an affective dimension (including a
sense of trust, ownership, belonging, and recognized
mutuality) and a cognitive dimension (including ways in
which community members ascribe meaning to their
membership in a group)
• Shared social interests and characteristics (language,
customs, class, ethnicity, etc.) can be used to define a
community

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Community
S.A. Small & A. Supple
• …social relationships that individuals have based on
group consensus, shared norms and values,
common goals and feelings of identification,
belonging and trust.

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 Basic Way to Define Communities
• Communities of place
• Defined geographic boundaries
• Communities of interest
• Groups of people united, cooperating, or interacting with
regard to a common topic, concern, interest, or shared
history, culture, ethnicity, etc.
• Communities of practice
• Groups of persons in a particular profession or discipline
interacting around their common interest

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 What is the nature of communities?
• Some sources say communities are forms or
structure.
• Other sources try to say they are function or
process.
• In reality, though, they are, in themselves, neither.
• S.A. Small & A. Supple describe communities as
“setting.”
• A more generic, systems-related term is
“environment.”

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Community Environment
• Communities are not the means but the milieu or
context in which form is created and function
carried out
• Communities have unique environments
• The idea of communities should be thought of in
the broadest possible ways

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 II. Community Structures
The capacity and ability to create, manage, and maintain
appropriate community structures that address community
issues and achieve community purposes.
 Definition of Structure
Chaskin
• First he asks “Where does community capacity
reside, and how is it engaged?”
• In this sense he is viewing structure as the first part of his
definition of capacity: the idea of containing (holding,
storing)

• He answers his question by proposing that capacity

resides in three levels of social interaction or social
agency:
• The individual
• Organizations
• Networks of association

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Forms of Community Capital
• Individuals – Human capital
• Organizations – Organizational capital
• Networks – Social capital

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 Interim Structures
• Created to accomplish short-term purposes or as a
means of creating permanent structures

• Created at a stage in community development when

there is no need or desire for a permanent structure

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 Interim Structures - Examples
• Study committees to identify and frame community
issues
• Informal sponsor groups to gather resources for and
legitimize special projects
• Study groups to gather information and conduct
community learning
• Planning & design committees to modify or create
new community systems or propose changes in
policies
• Special task forces to investigate and correct specific
problems
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Community Structures
• Are not part of community environment—they are
(or should be) created as a part of a solution.
• Are form, and need to be created following the
determination of function.
• Are not what needs to be done; they are part of
how something gets done.

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What is Community
Development?

PROCESS OUTCOME

Structural changes in a community, More community assets such as

including use of resources and the jobs, income, buildings, and city
function of institutions parks

Increased capacity of people More resources being used by

people
 What is Community
Development?
Citizen participation , both in
purpose and function,
distinguishes community
A comprehensive process to manage change that involves
development from other types
citizens creating a shared vision for the future
of interventions.
Unless people buy in to self-
help and the decision-making
process is open to all
stakeholders, the process
Distinguishing Characteristics should not be designated as
• Focuses on the whole community. community development.

• Emphasizes public participation as self-help.

• Uses participatory democracy as a model for decision
making.
• Uses a holistic approach.
• Often initiates the process using a paid professional
from outside.
 Why Practice Community
Development?

Can sustain community success

Allows people to participate in a civic
despite minimal problems.
dialogue. It doesn’t matter where
Addresses a critical need, such as
the community is on the
Gives voice to ordinary citizens. safety.
spectrum of success.
What matters is how Can begin the healing of a divided
Creates a common vision for the community.
engaged citizens are in
community.
the decision-making Decreases feeling of hopelessness
process. after years of neglectful community
Improves crisis response. building.
Framework for Community
Development

ASSUMPTIONS VALUES PRINCIPLES

PRACTICE
Community Development
Assumptions
People are capable of rational behavior.

Significant behavior is learned behavior.

ASSUMPTIONS Significant behavior is learned through interaction over time.

People can give purposeful direction to their behavior.

People can impact their environment toward a desired future.

Community Development
Values All people have basic dignity.
People have the right to help make decisions on issues that impact
their well-being.
Participatory democracy is the best way to conduct a community’s
civic business
People have the right to strive to create the environment they want.
People have the right to reject an externally imposed environment.
The more purposeful interaction and dialogue within a community,
VALUES
the more potential for learning and development.
Implied within a process of purposeful interaction is an ever-
widening concept of community.
Every discipline and profession is a potential contributor to a
community development process

Motivation is created through interaction with the environment.

Community Development
Principles
Self-help and self-responsibility are required for successful
development.
Participation in public decision-making should be free and open to
all citizens.
Broad representation and increased breadth of perspective and
understanding are conditions conducive to effective community
development.
PRINCIPLES Methods that produce accurate information about the community are
vital to the process.
Understanding and general agreement are the basis for community
change.
All individuals have the right to be heard in open discussion, and the
responsibility to respect opposing viewpoints.
Trust is essential for effective working relationships.
Community Development
Practice
Process Practice Outcome

People develop the ability to The results that occur from the
collectively help themselves and community development process.
reduce reliance on external Without process, the desired
outcomes may be diminished Outcomes can be physical,
resources.
or unrealized. Without environmental, or human capital;
An orderly set of steps lead to successful outcomes, the financial resources; or social
problem solving, process can be devalued or capital.
abandoned. Successful
program planning
communities understand the
and task completion. role and contribution of each.
Transforming Communities
• Development in the community
• Community is seen as a given
• Development is seen as enhancing this existing entity
• Clearly defined outcomes, and their achievement
means success and the end of development
• Development of the community
• Enhances the social realm and the relationships
between people
• A process of interaction, communication, and
collective mobilization
• Accomplished through community action and the
purposive interaction of community members

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Community Transformation Occurs
When a Community…
• Develops a sufficient organizational and network
base that enables effective participation,
communication, and collaboration

• Acquires and becomes proficient in the knowledge,

abilities, skills, and tools necessary to address
successfully challenges and achieve desired
purposes

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 Definition

Community Planning = ‘Planning carried

out with the active participation of the end
users. Similarly community architecture,
community design and so on.’

(Community Planning Handbook, 2000)

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5
 Community Planning framework

 Principles

 Methods

 Scenarios

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 Community Planning framework

 Principles
• Apply to almost any situation. Worldwide applicability
 Methods

 Scenarios

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 Community Planning framework

 Principles
• Apply to almost any situation. Worldwide applicability
 Methods
• Huge menu of different techniques and approaches
• new ways of people interacting | new types of event | new support frameworks

 Scenarios

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 Community Planning framework

 Principles
• Apply to almost any situation. Worldwide applicability
 Methods
• Huge menu of different techniques and approaches
• new ways of people interacting | new types of event | new support frameworks

 Scenarios
• How one might use a combination of methods in a
particular development situation - creating an
involvement or empowerment strategy.
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 Principles

Universally
applicable good
practice

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 Principle: Involve all sections of
the community

Ore Valley, Hastings, UK Pakistan

People of different ages, gender, backgrounds and culture invariably have different
perspectives. Make sure a full spectrum of the community is involved. This is usually
more important than involving large numbers. 12
 Principle: Work on location

Wallingers Walk, Hastings, UK Kenya

Wherever possible, base community planning activities physically in the area being planned.
This makes it much easier for everyone to bridge the gap from concept to reality.

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 Principle: Visualise

Wenceslas Square, Prague, before ……… and after

People can participate more effectively if information is presented visually rather than in
words. Use graphics, maps, illustrations, cartoons, drawings, photomontages and models
wherever possible. 14
 Principle: Communicate

Hulme, Manchester, UK
Use all available media to let people know what you are doing and how they
can get involved. Simple methods often work best but be imaginative - get
members of the community to help 15
Source
• Lousiana Community Network
https://www.opportunitylouisiana.com/assets/.../L
CN_Module_1-Intro-to-Com-Dev.p...
• Grabow, Steve and Will Andersen. 2014. Building
Community Capacity.
• www.nickwates.co.uk