Let's Put The 'Community' Back Into Community Development

A strong community is one of the most important factors in a healthy and happy human life. Despite this, the cultivation of strong communities is not a named priority for community development practitioners. In this article I will share a definition of community, why communities are on their deathbed, and suggest a path forward for those who care about community and work in the community development space.

I use the term community in reference to those who live in a certain geographic region (town, city, street) or participate in a certain organization (an arts institution, an environmental group, a church). The quality of a community can be evaluated on a spectrum from weak to strong. Strong communities are those in which its members 1.) Have many close and personal relationships with other community members, and 2.) derive a sense of identity from participation with and in the community. A weak community is a community in which its members do not know each other and do not derive identity from belonging to the community.

Those who work in the economic and community development field have conflated community development with community amenity development. Community development is the growth of meaningful relationships community members have with each other and to place. Community amenity development is the expansion of programs and services that are available (e.g. playgrounds, senior centers). Community development is significantly more important than community amenity development. While there is a less clear path in how to cultivate strong communities, versus how build community amenities, it has a significantly bigger pay off in terms of human wellbeing.^1

THE DEATH OF COMMUNITY

Communities are becoming weaker and weaker every day and the network of relationships that bind people together are splintering. Allow me to highlight a few stats that illustrate the weakening of communities throughout the United States:

• People of all ages have significantly fewer friendships than in the past.

• Social anxiety is rising.

• There has been a steep decline in participation in fraternal, social, and volunteer-oriented organizations.

• The sale and subsequent privatization of formerly community buildings happens on a daily basis.

• Families are smaller and more dispersed than ever.

• Drug addiction is rising.

Its seems to be a fair assessment to say our communities are dying, and this has been happening, right in front of us, for decades.

Social networks provide critical supports needed to live well, including emotional support, childcare and meals in moments of need, help with fixing and repairs, knowledge and expertise, a thing to borrow (the classic asking-your-neighbor-for-an-egg scenario), and more. Personal relationships provide fun and socialization, wisdom and advice. We simply cannot understate the importance of strong community in a healthy and fulfilling life. As we have lost community, there are ongoing attempts at commodifying the benefits of a social community, and for the most part it has been shown that the market cannot provide these services as efficiently as social networks can, nor at a price point that is attainable for middle class people (personal assistants, personal cooks, nannies, etc.)

Given some of the facts bulleted above, few would argue that communities in America are thriving. The potential regrowth of community looks bleak, unless it is repositioned as a priority for community development leaders. As a field, we ought to be screaming about this crisis as loudly as we can.

WHAT TO DO

The good news is that the growth and development of community lies in the hands of local people and small institutions. This is a national challenge that can be solved locally.^2

There are a many ways a locality or institution can address this crisis: more funding towards ‘third spaces’, the purchase and protection of buildings that were once local nonprofits that are now going out of existence (mason halls, churches), a “know your neighbor” campaign, putting dollars towards volunteer recruitment. I am certain that there are many imaginative ideas that could make a dent in the strengthening local communities.

First, community development practitioners need to acknowledge this challenge and then begin to have collective conversations on ways in which we can address this crisis. We have to acknowledge that communities are weaker and that we have not been progressing forwards, but going backwards (a bitter pill to swallow). The cultivation of stronger social bonds and connection to place has to be one of the central and most important priorities for all those who care about the improvement of society.

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Endnotes

1. One could make the case that the development of community amenities foster community relationships. While there might be some truth that relationships are fostered where there are community amenities, like playgrounds, there is little reason to believe that the strong communities can only occur in places where expensive community amenities exist. (That said, the relationship between community amenities and community development should be further looked at, because it is likely that some amenities are better at supporting relationship building and community development than others.)

2. There are national factors that significantly impact community formation, such as technology and other cultural trends. This is another area that needs research.