Community Assets Blog

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Many of us may think of community development as physical infrastructure--roads, buildings and housing. Creating community means people, the residents of the neighborhoods directly affected by whatever changes or improvements are accomplished within the area.

Community Assets has over ten years experience working with innovative projects that involve residents in leading the design and implementation of improvements in their neighborhoods.  Through project design,  resource development and program management, residents realize their empowerment to facilitate positive changes that met their needs rather than the needs of outside funders or government officials.

Community usually refers to a social unit larger than a household that shares common values and has social cohesion.

In many segments of the US, community exists outside where we live: in our workplace, our school our church or synagogue.  Community forms around common interests in civic organizations or hobby groups.

The term second community describes what is right outside our front door.

It's filled with the challenges of making and keeping our environment safe, clean and livable.  It's the place where we want to include family and friends outside the boundaries of our home.  Second community asks for safe streets, a place for our children to play and clean air to breathe. Second community is what many of us nostalgically think of as neighborhood and what is slowly synergying in urban areas, suburbs and rural communities