This document includes a final report, guidelines for mentoring communities, and a guidebook for community-based planning developed by the Building Communities for Learning (BCL) project conducted to encourage Pennsylvania communities to develop community-based planning groups to improve the delivery of services for adult learners and maximize…

The need for a systems approach to community development is outlined by the dean of evening and continuing education at William Rainey Harper College (Illinois). (Editor)

Describes the type of organization known as a charrette; relates its effects to the larger social process, and examines some aspects of the technical and advisory roles of mental health consultants participating in this process, making recommendations where needed. (Author/JM)

Discusses the content, objectives, and varied approaches to college-level planning education for planners in developing nations. Suggestions for improving planning education programs are offered. (WB)

Hypothesizes that the unanticipated shifts in the character and composition of South Commons (a Chicago urban renewal project of the 1970s created to be heterogeneous in population and housing form) were due to a lack of congruence between the physical environment and the social structures it housed. (NEC)

Presents six steps for organizing community forum programs: establish forum steering committees; enlist community organization cosponsors; involve local media; develop related activities and community events; provide for panelist and moderator practice sessions; and develop forum promotional plans. Includes action steps for the forum coordinator.…

Suggests that contrary to popular perception, children are becoming increasingly alienated from the natural environment, especially for play. A study done in Leeds, United Kingdom investigates how the outdoor play of today's children differs from that of their parents' generation. Findings include issues for planners and landscape architects…

In Manteo, North Carolina, community involvement in planning and design phases of community revitalization led to recognition of the town's "sacred structure"--highly valued places essential to social processes, lifestyle, and sense of place. Identification and preservation of these places allowed community development without negative…

Reports on the philosophy underlying a project to promote local community involvement in neighborhood plans as a basis for a citywide Local Agenda 21 and the first stages of Go Local on a Better Environment (GLOBE) introduced to give the project a popular identify and communicate the environmental message. (LZ)

Discusses literature on children's community participation and analyzes case studies on children's involvement in neighborhood improvement in Finland, Switzerland, and France. Case-study findings indicate that the creation of child-friendly environments with young people requires a shift toward more ecological and socially supportive settings with…

The residents of Galiano Island, British Columbia, have used geographic information systems (GIS) to create a local information database that informs community decisions about sustainable use of forest land. The islanders' involvement with GIS promotes a democratic land-use planning process that is reasoned and well informed. (SV)

The Literacy Community Planning Process (LCPP) was intended to assist Ontario communities in comprehensive planning to meet the needs of adult learners requiring training in basic literacy and numeracy. In the first phase, 59 local LCPP committees and 4 literacy networks submitted community profiles to the Literacy Section of the Ontario Training…

Increasingly, the operation of family day care homes in communities throughout the country is being jeopardized by restrictive local zoning requirements specifying uses of property. The majority of providers operate in areas where they are not specifically permitted "by right" or "by special exception," doing so at risk of being challenged or…

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…

Information and data were obtained from personal interviews with 93 local officials and 344 community leaders in 8 rural areas of Virginia in 1977 to assess the capacity building needs of rural areas brought on both by internal demands of local citizens for improvements in community assistance and services, and demands placed on local communities…