Community Development & Growing Democracy Series, Part 2: What role do government agencies play in stimulating community development? By Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor at University of Texas, Arlington (and former Growing Democracy project manager) [Part 1: What is community development?] In the United States, governments at all levels are involved in promoting community development efforts. At the federal level, the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides grant funding for community development efforts at the state and local levels.…
Community Development & Growing Democracy Series, Part 1
Community Development & Growing Democracy Series, Part 1: What is community development? By Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor at University of Texas, Arlington (and former Growing Democracy project manager) Community development is the process by which individuals and organizations work together to resolve community-wide issues that require collective efforts, despite varying personal interests. In the United States, community development rose to prominence in the 1960’s, the era of urban renewal. Newly diverse cities had faced decades of disinvestment- having lost massive amounts…
Democracy Blog: Self-Aware Civic Leader by Dr. Brandi Blessett
Self-Aware Civic Leader By Dr. Brandi Blessett, associate professor and Director of the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Cincinnati Current events often highlight discrimination and injustice for people who are Black or Latino, persons that are differently abled, identify as LGBTQ, or are poor, etc. There are contentious conversations related to the deservingness to access to clean water in Flint, Michigan and Sioux Falls, Nevada; the humanity of immigrants who are seeking refuge in the United…
Democracy Blog: Community Organizing in Cleveland, OH by Anna Hutcheson
Community Organizing in Cleveland, OH: A Snapshot By Anna Hutcheson, former Growing Democracy Project Manager & PhD Candidate at Kent State University The Cleveland Foundation, the world’s first community foundation, defines community organizing as “movement driven by the constituents of a community to build power and bring about systemic change” (CLE Foundation). It is especially noteworthy that this community-based organization, the first of its kind and still amongst the largest in existence, references Saul Alinsky’s rules of organization. Although Alinsky…
Democracy Blog: What even is “community organizing”, by Anna Hutcheson
What even is Community Organizing? by Anna Hutcheson, former Growing Democracy Project Manager & PhD Candidate at Kent State University Community organizing: we hear talk of community organizing, neighborhood committees, activism and service. We are probably familiar with organizations in our communities that make claims about pursuit of social justice, equity, activism and fairness in our neighborhoods. What, though, does any of this really mean? Are neighborhood organizations and community organizations different words for the same thing? What are the…