COMMUNITY (RE) DEVELOPMENT

What are the essential elements needed to create, rebuild, and sustain vibrant communities? It’s a long list: good jobs, good schools, good community services, and, of course, good housing, among other things.  I think that we too often lose sight of the need for all of these elements to come together in order to create and maintain the kinds of neighborhoods and communities in which most of us would like to live.

The only way in which all of these elements can come together is through collaboration. While this statement intuitively makes sense at a fundamental level, it doesn’t always happen that way. Particularly in challenging economic times, an individual project or priority for one group or organization may become the primary focus.

We often hear of the NIMBY (not in my back yard) effect. For example, everyone recognizes the need for housing that’s affordable for low income people; just don’t put it in my neighborhood. We can only overcome this effect if we all recognize that every neighborhood and every community must accommodate the needs of our most vulnerable citizens. This can only be done through a shared vision across communities and organizations.

As we look together toward the future, leaders must define, articulate, and carry through a shared vision. We must focus not just on one block, but on entire neighborhoods. We must focus not just on one city or county, but on entire regions. Creating sustainable communities requires the