For those of us working to pioneer an integral approach to social change and community development, it is helpful to know who our allies are. Since the early 1990's, numerous community development movements have emerged across the US which focus on transforming the whole community system (as opposed to focusing on solving specific problems). Taken as a whole, these efforts have been loosely grouped together as the "American Communities Movement." Alongside this movement a complementary "Civic Renewal Movement" has emerged to transform the civic sector - those voluntary associations and informal networks through which ordinary citizens help shape the public decision-making process. Numerous regional and national networks have formed to link these efforts and to support them with stories, tools, and research. In this section we list some of the leading networks and resource centers supporting these movements.

 

American Communities Movement

In the 1990's, a large movement emerged (though relatively unnoticed) in the US to revitalize local, place-based communities. Arguably in response to the fragmenting effect of economic globalization (and other conditions of modern life) on local communities and the failure of government bureaucracies to adequately respond to the situation, a spontaneous, largely grassroots movement arose to reactivate the creative potentials of local communities by reconnecting local people and resources. This "movement" is comprised of hundreds of local initiatives and numerous national networks which bring diverse perspectives to the work of community transformation but which also share many common aims and approaches. Kesler and O'Connor (2001) identify the following common themes among a variety of US community-based movements:

·       An emphasis on developing a shared sense of community

·       A concern for social justice

·       An emphasis on caring for the natural environment

·       A commitment to the process of community building, in particular through supporting:

·       ongoing, inclusive dialogue;

·       community-based indicators; and

·       collaborative decision-making processes to shape public policy.

 

While there really is no one all-embracing American "Communities Movement" with which all community-based initiatives and networks identify, below we list some of the major networks that share these aims and values.

 

US Community-based movements

 

Healthy Communities Movement (see http://www.communityhlth.org/communityhlth/index.jsp)

The Healthy Communities Movement approaches community development through the framework of personal and community health. The modern Healthy Communities Movement emerged in the early 1990's in response to the World Health Organization announcing a goal to achieve "health for all the citizens of the world by the year 2000 to a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life." Since the early 90's, dozens of Healthy Community initiatives have been launched in cities across the US. The website provides a plethora of reports, guides, and tools for community development. We have found their "Seven Patterns of a Healthy Community" to be particularly helpful in orienting our own approach to community development work (see Adams, C and Pittman, M. (2000). Seven Patterns of a Healthy Community: www.communityinitiatives.com/7pattern.html).

 

For an excellent article describing the principles and origins of the Healthy Community Movement, see:

Norris, T. and Pittman, M. (2000). The Healthy Communities Movement and the Coalition for Healthier Cities, Public Health Reports, 115. (Available online at www.communityinitiatives.com/article23.html).

 

Sustainable Communities Movement

The Sustainable Communities Movement emphasizes the interconnection between personal, communal, and environmental flourishing. More than the other community-based movements, the Sustainable Communities Movement stresses the importance of natural ecologies both for their intrinsic value and for human community development.

 

The Relocalization Network (www.relocalize.net) is a resource & networking center for hundreds of communities working to reduce their community's dependence on cheap, non-renewable fossil fuel energy. Relocalization aims to build societies based on the local production of food, energy and goods, and the local development of currency, governance and culture. Their pioneering site is a rich resource & collaboration environment of active community groups.

 

The Sustainable Communities Network (www.sustainable.org) is a resource center for those who want to help make their communities more livable and sustainable. Their site contains a very comprehensive collection of case studies, websites, books, toolkits, and other resources related to sustainable community living.

 

The Citizens Network for Sustainable Development (www.citnet.org) is an independent, non-profit network bringing together US based organizations, communities, and individuals working on sustainability issues across the US. Some of CitNet's objectives include:

·       strengthening sustainability movements across the US, by providing a framework for information-sharing and collaboration across issue areas, sectors, and levels of activity;

·       connecting the US sustainability movement to the global sustainability movement; and

·       promoting broad-based, multi-stakeholder participation in decision making on sustainable development at the local, national, regional and global levels.

 

Smart Growth Movement (see www.smartgrowth.org)

The Smart Growth Movement is concerned about the long-term impact of developmental 'sprawl' on our cities, small towns, rural communities, and wilderness areas. They seek to promote development that serves the economy, the community, and the environment through the development and application of enlightened town planning principles. The Smart Growth Network was formed in the mid-90's by the US EPA and several non-profit and government organizations to provide a forum to promote smart growth best practices and to develop and share innovative policies and ideas. The Smart Growth Resource Library is a searchable catalogue of reports, websites, tools and case studies dating from 1997 until today.

 

Livable Communities Movement (see www.lgc.org/center/index.html)

The Livable Communities Movement emerged in the early 1990's through a collaborative project between some of the country's leading architects and town planners to develop the "Ahwahnee Principles" for resource-efficient local and regional land use planning. The Center for Livable Communities is a national initiative of the Local Government Commission (LGC) a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization of elected officials, city and county staff, and other interested individuals throughout California and other states.

 

The Center for Livable Communities grew out of the Commission's work helping local officials implement the Ahwahnee Principles. The Center helps local governments and community leaders be proactive in their land use and transportation planning, and adopt programs and policies that lead to more livable and resource-efficient land use patterns.

 

Recognizing that cities and counties face major challenges in providing clean, affordable water to their communities, the LGC developed a new set of principles in 2005 to assist them. The Ahwahnee Water Principles for Resource Efficient Land Use address the disconnect between land use decisions and water resources, and will help cities and counties reduce costs while improving the reliability and quality of our water resources.

 

Intentional Communities Movement (see www.ic.org)

Intentional Community is an inclusive term for ecovillages, cohousing, cooperative living, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives, and other related projects and dreams. The website has a communities directory, a comprehensive collection of local and international groups and associations related to intentional community living, and a well-used event calendar. Check out their amazing mapping feature where you can see the incredible number of intentional communities popping up all around the world (directory.ic.org/maps/).

 

 

Articles

 

Kesler, John, & O'Connor, Drew. (2001). The American Communities Movement. National Civic Review, 90:4 (available online at www.ncl.org/publications/ncr/90-4/chapter.pdf). This article gives an overview of a number of community-based movements and examines some of their common concerns.

 

Adams, C, & Pittman, M. (2000). Seven Patterns of a Healthy Community, from A Message to America from America's Communities (see www.communityinitiatives.com/7pattern.html). This is a brief summary of the Seven Patterns that were identified by the Healthy Communities movement following a ten month dialogue project with hundreds of people in diverse communities across the US. For access to the original publication, contact http://www.communityhlth.org/communityhlth/index.jsp.

 

Peterson, Michael. (1996). The Communities Movement: An Introduction

(see http://www.coe.wayne.edu/wholeschooling/WS/WSPress/ArtCommAmerica.html). This article identifies a number of elements that characterize the communities movement and outlines some of the leading organizations and thinkers in the field.

 

 

Books

 

Creating Community Anywhere. Carolyn Shaffer and Kristin Anundsen. 1993. Tarcher/Perigree.

This book provides groups with guidelines for creating communities of any kind, from support groups and workplace teams to neighborhood associations and spiritual communities. It profiles successful communities in the US, offering models of what works and solutions to overcome difficulties.

 

The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace. M. Scott Peck. 1998. Touchstone.

This is a classic work by psychiatrist Scott Peck that draws exciting analogies between the ways communities emerge and the dynamics of individual spiritual development.

 

 

General Community Development Resources

 

National Civic League (www.ncl.org)

The National Civic League (NCL), founded in 1894, is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy through transforming democratic institutions and fostering innovative community building initiatives. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Awards, America's original and most prestigious community recognition program. NCL publishes the National Civic Review, a quarterly journal containing thoughtful commentary on issues concerning citizen involvement in government and community problem solving.

 

Community Initiatives (www.communityinitiatives.com)

Community Initiatives are consultants, trainers, and keynote speakers who specialize in the art and science of building healthy and sustainable communities. The Publications section of their site contains many well-written articles on the subject.

 

Boyd Rossing's Community Building site (www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/community_building/index.html)

Boyd Rossing is a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who is in the process of constructing a very useful website about community building. While the site is still being built, it already contains many useful articles on the communities movement.

 

 

Civic Renewal Movement

Alongside and complementing the American Communities Movement there has emerged a large number of initiatives that aim to transform the civic sector - those voluntary associations and informal networks through which ordinary citizens help shape the public decision-making process. The Civic Renewal Movement works to establish neutral forums for public deliberation on critical community issues, increased public involvement in the development of regional community indicators, and more collaborative approaches to local and regional planning processes. A distinction has typically been made between efforts to revitalize citizen involvement in public life (the "Civic Renewal movement") from efforts to build more personal connections to support greater intimacy and creativity in community life (the "Communities Movement"). However, with the increased recognition by the Communities Movement of the need to enhance the civic sector within communities, and the simultaneous recognition from the civic sector of the need to develop the underlying relationships between participants in its processes, this distinction is increasingly becoming artificial. Nevertheless, we are retaining the division here to highlight those organizations and initiatives which particularly emphasize and support citizen involvement in the public arena.

 

One of the more significant recent developments in the Civic Renewal Movement has been the emergence of state and national networks of "Regional Stewards," who are "leaders committed to the long-term health of their region." These networks play important roles in addressing complex issues that cut across multiple political jurisdictions and constituencies.

 

 

Organizations and Resource Centers

 

Reuniting America (www.ReunitingAmerica.org)

Reuniting America is a network of organizations, associations, and individuals engaged in transpartisan dialogue. It is guided by a national steering committee and board of advisors comprised of leaders from across the political spectrum.

Our intention is to foster authentic dialogue among leaders and citizens from across a politically broad spectrum of organizations (and welcome those unaffiliated with organizations); to highlight and build on the citizen engagement work already taking place in communities across America; and to support and strengthen the capacity of leaders and citizens to discuss divisive issues and to engage in collaborative action.

 

Civic Practices Network (www.cpn.org)

Born of the movement for a "new citizenship" and "civic revitalization," CPN is a collaborative and nonpartisan project dedicated to bringing practical tools for public problem solving into community and institutional settings across America. CPN brings together a diverse array of organizations and perspectives within the civic renewal movement. They share a commitment to bringing practical methods for public problem solving into every community and institutional setting in America. They assume the responsibility of telling their stories, so that all citizens may have the opportunity to learn from what others are doing to renew their communities.

 

Their resource section contains many valuable articles on community building and civic renewal.

 

National Civic League (www.ncl.org)

The National Civic League (NCL), founded in 1894, is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy through transforming democratic institutions and fostering innovative community building initiatives. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Awards, America's original and most prestigious community recognition program. NCL publishes the National Civic Review, a quarterly journal containing thoughtful commentary on issues concerning citizen involvement in government and community problem solving.

 

Alliance for Regional Stewardship (www.regionalstewardship.org)

The Alliance for Regional Stewardship (ARS) is a national, peer-to-peer network of regional stewards who benefit by sharing experiences and working collaboratively on innovative approaches to common regional challenges. ARS is for proven leaders who recognize the interdependencies of their regions' economy, environment, and society—and are seeking practical ways to effect change as regional stewards.

 

These stewards can come from business, government, education, or community sectors, but they share a common commitment to collaborative action and regional stewardship. ARS supports regional stewardship by helping leaders learn about best practices from other regions, communicate to state and federal leaders and the media about regional challenges and innovations, and develop new leaders for regional stewardship efforts.

 

Also check out www.regionlink.org, an interactive online resource for practitioners to develop communities of practice around shared interests and concerns.

 

California Center for Regional Leadership (www.calregions.org)

The California Center for Regional Leadership is a statewide nonprofit organization established to support, facilitate, and promote innovative regional solutions for California's major economic, environmental, and societal challenges, to help achieve a more sustainable California. CCRL works with a network of collaborative regional organizations from throughout California, and works on behalf of this network to encourage and enable effective regional strategies by local and state government.

 

 

Articles

 

California Center for Regional Leadership. (2003).California Regional Network: Regions Working Together for a Better California (2003) (see www.calregions.org/pdf/crnpub-regionsworking.pdf). This is a long paper that describes "regional collaboratives" in detail: what they are, why they are needed, and what they have already accomplished.

 

 

Books

 

Civic Revolutionaries: Igniting the Passion for Change in America's Communities. Douglas Henton, John Melville and Kim Walesh. 2004. Jossey-Bass.

This book describes a new revolution of civic institution building that is transforming every aspect of American public life. The book features many in-depth case studies from communities around the country to describe how many communities are successfully reinventing themselves in spite of today's complex challenges. They introduce and promote the notion of civic revolutionaries as "regional stewards" who are experimenting with new ways of addressing complex issues that cut across traditional political jurisdictions and constituencies.