Community Development Programs

Community Development Overview

Throughout the United States successful communities are finding ways to meet the economic, social, and cultural needs of their residents. The concept of community is commonly defined in terms of a locality. However, communities have several dimensions. In addition to its geographic location, a community is defined by the social and economic interaction of people as they come together to meet their daily needs through interaction with various formal institutions and informal organizations.

For proactive community development to occur, the following formal institutions must be in place: kinship (family), economic (business and industry), education, political, religious, and associations. Each has significant influence over the performance of essential community functions. If a community is not satisfied with its performance in any of these areas, the driving force of change should be a collective desire for improvement.

A community is also characterized by common values, beliefs, and goals, but the essential nature of a community is determined by its will for locally-oriented collective actions. Thus, proactive community development is a dynamic process that moves a group of people from issue identification to group decision-making and action in an environment that is inclusive of diverse perspectives within a given community. Specialists within the Community Resource Development unit draw from the disciplines of economics, sociology, political science, and others spearhead this process to help communities understand and facilitate positive change within communities.