Alabama has serious economic and social problems, and the situation is worse in rural areas and small towns than in urban areas. The solutions to the problems of small communities must be found within the communities themselves. Sustainable communities are those that aggressively manage their destiny, based on a realistic and well planned vision.…

Community clusters allow small towns to combine their efforts to enhance economic development, promote tourism, or share public services. Two successful clusters of communities in Iowa are the Area Community Commonwealth and the North Iowa Rural Area Development. Both clusters participated in Iowa State University's Cooperative Extension Service…

An article by the Secretariat of the Economic Commission for Latin America, United Nations, which discusses regional factors affecting rural and community development in the Caribbean, existing community development programs, and emerging trends in the region. (Author/DR)

This volume contains summaries of presentations and excerpts from workshops at a conference organized by the Cooperative Extension Services of Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. The conference brought together community officials and leaders from the four-state area to share experiences and gain new ideas about community development. Topics…

The Idaho Rural Partnership (IRP) was created within the Idaho Department of Labor to join diverse public and private resources in innovative collaborations to strengthen communities and improve life in rural Idaho. The IRP is an accessible organization that listens to local problems and collaborates to develop systemwide solutions. The board of…

This manual describes an educational program for helping rural, small community leaders, decision-makers, and residents analyze their communities, think about alternatives, and plan economic development action strategies. The program is an effort to help communities explore short- and long-term development strategies, gain a vision of their…

Tennessee's Three-Star Program for Community Economic Preparedness helps rural communities sell themselves as desirable locations for industry. The program emphasizes community planning and improved quality of life; features include adult leadership programs, community action projects, after-school and extracurricular programs for children and…

A comprehensive case study is presented of the Antigonish Movement in eastern Nova Scotia. Originally founded to combat poverty and exploitation, it has functioned since 1929 under the extension department of St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish. The Movement brought education into the lives of ordinary working people and introduced group…

Decentralization and budget reduction in the public sector, and globalization and downsizing in the private sector have placed more responsibility on localities to address challenges to the health of their economies, ecosystems, and people. Community development theory and practice are also changing, evidenced by changes in vocabulary. Community…

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency representing a unique partnership of federal, state, and local governments. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, the Commission is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chairperson. Grassroots participation is provided by…

This report identifies funding priorities to assist governmental and philanthropic agencies in meeting the long-range needs of the Latino community of Los Angeles (California). Information was gathered from a community survey, a survey of Latino community leaders, and focus groups comprised of representatives from various sectors of the Latino…

The Duke Endowment's Program for the Rural Carolinas is a 5-year effort to assist the revitalization of rural communities. Guiding principles of the program are that the rural Carolinas matter, this generation of workers matters, effective community development involves the entire community, solutions must be locally determined, healthy…

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private foundations, and invests in research and education to help rural communities meet the challenges of today's global society through a multidisciplinary network of university research and extension faculty, policy makers, and rural…

Community colleges in Appalachia are helping boost local economies and expand educational opportunities through the national Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). At the heart of RCCI is a nine-step strategic planning process in which a community group moves from vision to action. Kentucky's Southeast Community College has promoted…

This volume is a review of community development as a significant part of the modernization process. After the optimism of the late 1950's, much of the community development process has not met the expectations of its supporters, due to a complex of factors including the physical environment, societal reactions to innovation, the way in which…