Conceptualizing community development in the twenty-first century

Abstract

The need to more accurately conceptualize the field of community development has increased during recent decades. This is largely the result of a growing field marked by its multidisciplinary nature, but also because of the multifaceted ways in which communities around the world participate in the development process. In this article, we approach the task of conceptualizing community development by providing a conceptual definition that serves both academics and practitioners. More importantly, based on such conceptualization, we offer a typology that accounts for the different forms in which community development is practiced providing strengths and weaknesses of each form.

Keywords:

• conceptualization
• community development typology
• characterizations

Notes

1. The importance of such resources is noticeable in practical terms, as many community development and assessment efforts often begin with the establishment of local inventories (or asset maps; Burdge, 2004; Goreham et al., 2008; Theodori, 2007).