An Introduction to Community Development offers comprehensive and practical approaches to enhance development processes and outcomes for communities. It enables students to make connections between academic study and practical know-how in both private and public sector contexts. Now in its third edition, the book is based on the authors’ years of teaching and research and on training they have provided for practicing community and economic development professionals, policymakers, community leaders and planners. It has been road-tested through the authors' extensive experience working directly with communities to build better futures.
A major theme of the book is the link between community development and economic development, and it clearly shows how to integrate them to make communities more prosperous. Most importantly, the book is strongly focused on outcomes, encouraging students to address key issues for community progress. What are best practices for community development? How do we use effective processes for achieving desired results? How do we accurately measure the results of these processes and practices?
This newly revised and updated edition also includes increased coverage of other important issues such as connectedness and placemaking, quality of life, community well-being, sustainability, marketing, and community enterprise. Each chapter provides a range of reading materials for the student, supplemented with text boxes, cases, keywords, and reference lists. It includes skills-based exercises at the end of each chapter to help students turn their learning into action. This new and improved content makes this third edition the most impactful and user-friendly text for community development now available.
Table of Contents:
Part I: Foundations and Building Blocks of Community Development 1. A Framework for Community and Economic Development 2. Understanding Community Theory: Historical Roots and Contemporary Perspectives 3. Practice and Assessment 4. Community Development Leadership Theory and Practice 5. Establishing Community-based Organizations Part II: Strategies, Techniques and Programming 6. Comprehensive Community Development: A Roadmap to Prosperity 7. Community Economies 8. Sustainability in Community Development 9. Community Supported Enterprises 10. Human Capital and Community Development 11. Housing and Community Development 12. Attracting, Retaining and Growing Businesses in the Community 13. Social Entrepreneurship’s Role in Enhancing Community Development 14. Marketing for Community and Economic Development 15. Community Well-Being via Neighborhood Development 16. Culture, Tourism and Community Part III: Future Look 17. Measuring Progress for Community Well-Being 18. New Technologies and Tools for Community Development 19. What Does the Future Hold?
About the Author :
Rhonda Phillips is a specialist in community well-being and development, and economic development planning. She serves as president of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a stand-alone public honors college. Rhonda is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners and held the Certified Economic and Community Developer certification from the International Economic Development Council for 17 years.
Robert H. Pittman is a noted consultant, teacher, speaker and author in the field of community and economic development. He has held senior management positions in the industry including Director of Economic Development Consulting for a global engineering and advisory firm.
Review :
Praise for Previous Editions
"The community development field, now well over a half-century in the making, still harbors a lively and necessary conversation about the nature of the discipline. Phillips and Pittman have added to that conversation with their bipartite collection."
Bernie Jones, Community Development
"This comprehensive textbook takes the reader through the various steps of community and economic development from theory to practice. Phillips and Pittman have pulled together a comprehensive and well-informed introduction to the field to offer a practical book that is likely to remain on the reference shelves of students and community development practitioners."
Philip Nyden, Journal of the American Planning Association
