[Dialogue] best books on community development

[Karen Snyder via Dialogue]

Discerning books on community development that have influenced my thinking, I find myself asking what is the question behind the question when one asks for general literature on community development.  In Chicago the ICA is wrestling with what does it look like to do sustainable community development (adding environmental considerations to influencing community change).  What are people discovering that is helpful literature on ‘sustainable community development?

The following books have influenced my thinking on community development:

Diers, Jim, Neighbor Power:  Building community the Seattle Way (2004)

Hopkins, Rob, Transition Handbook:  from oil dependency to local resilience (2008).  Pioneered in Ireland/England since 2006, transition communities are now in 43 countries and 1,130 initiatives (including 150 in the United States). 

James, Sarah and Lahti, Torbjorn,  The Natural Step for Communities:  how cities and towns can change to sustainable practices, 2004.  Piloted in Scandinavia, this approach has been especially effective for changing large public institutions as well as geographical communities. 

Kaplan, Allan, The Development Practitioners Handbook (1996) and Artists of the Invisible – Development Practitioners and Social Practice (2002). Allan is from Cape Town, South Africa.  You can watch a wonder-filled presentation he gave at Schumacher College in 2011 on “Reading the nature of process from a process of nature” at this link:  http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/community/reading-the-nature-of-process-from-a-process-of-nature

Kretzmann, John and McKnight, John, Building Communities from the Inside Out:  A path toward finding and mobilizing a community’s assets (1993).  The community assets survey approach described in this book launched the ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development) approach

***** 

We have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour

Now we must go back and tell the people this is the Hour. 

And there are things to be considered.

Where are you living?  What are you doing?  Are you in right relation?

Where is your water?  Know your garden.

It is time to speak your truth.  Create your community.  Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader.  This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing very fast.

It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. 

They will try to hold on to the shore.

They will feel they are being torn apart and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has a destination.

 

The elders say we must let go of the shore, and push off and into the river,

Keep our eyes open, and our head above the water.

See who is in there with you and Celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.  Least of all, ourselves.

For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.

Gather yourselves!

 

Banish the word “struggle” from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that you do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

           

~~  Alice Walker from We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For 

 

 

On Jun 28, 2014, at 4:34 PM, William Schlesinger via Dialogue <dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:

> I've liked Rothman's work on locality development. Parallels our historical approach and relates it to both community organizing and planning approached.
> 
> Bill Schlesinger
> pvida at whc.net
> 
> 
> Frank Cookingham via Dialogue <dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
> 
> The best book is Bryant Myers, Walking with the Poor (revised and expanded edition), 2011, Orbis Books.
> 
> John Friedmann, Empowerment: The Politics of Alternative Development, 1992, Blackwell.
> 
> Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom, 1999, Oxford University Press.
> 
> Abhijit V. Banerjee and Ester Duflo, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty, 2011, Public Affairs Books.
> 
> Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor ... And Yourself, 2009, Moody Publishers.
> 
> read Easterly and Sachs at the same time to see two very different approaches:
> William Easterly, The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good, 2006, Penguin Books.
> 
> Jeffrey D. Sachs, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, 2005, Penguin Books.
> 
> Peace, Frank Cookingham, retired evaluator of international community development
> 
> 
> On Friday, June 27, 2014 12:30 PM, David Dunn via Dialogue <dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hi all.
> 
> An old friend has asked for recommendations on: 
> 
>>> general literature on community development?  I need to get out of project-think and into a more comprehensive mode.  
> 
> Any suggestions that I should pass on.
> 
> David
> 
> David Dunn
> 740 S Alton Way 9B
> Denver, CO 80247
> 720-314-5991
> dmdunn1 at gmail.com

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