The rural Midwest is undergoing fundamental changes with increased competition from foreign agriculture; employment shifts from higher-paying manufacturing to lower-paying service industries; the displacement of local small town business by large discount stores and shopping malls; overall population declines that threaten the viability of schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, along with an influx of minority groups that has led to strife in some communities. Using data from t...

First Published in 2004. The market economy has changed profoundly over the past two centuries. In the nineteenth century, business enterprises were largely single-product ventures, managed directly by the owners and rooted within national economies. In the twentieth century, firms employed managers who were not owners. Firms also evolved into multiproduct, multiunit entities that could employ thousands of workers. In the twenty-first century, many firms operate on a global scale, taking a...

Increasingly, community leaders around the world face major natural and economic disasters that require them to find ways to rebuild both physical infrastructure and the local economy. Doing this effectively requires an understanding of how various parts of the community are interconnected, as well as information as to which revitalization approaches have succeeded in the past. Community investment in recovery is essential and, in some cases, may require local leaders to rethink how it can...

This book analyses community-owned businesses in countries around the world to show successful approaches and important strategies to improve access to essential services in vastly different economic contexts.Through eleven chapters, authors from various countries use case studies and analyse findings in ways which can be applied to new development initiatives, including rural grocery store retention in Kansas, socially responsible community cooperatives in Italy, preserving pubs a...

This book explores the intersection of community development and local capacity building as a basis for effective disaster mitigation and the alleviation of suffering in times of crisis. Beginning with the Community Development section, the process, context, and methods for community, engagement, and development can be viewed from different structural and logical approaches. This section explores some of the more relevant historical arguments, as well as more contemporary examinations. The...

The national recession forced many communities to examine new and innovative ways to promote local economic development, resulting in long-term community changes. New techniques and approaches were used to identify available opportunities and programs which could take advantage of development opportunities. A common theme among the contributions to this book is a focus on building leadership capacity, and several chapters discuss the successful practices which are aimed at bringing new lea...

This volume explores new opportunities to reshape local economies in rural areas during the next decade by exploring successful efforts already underway.While reported population declines can paint a bleak picture for rural areas, a different story can be told in looking at the numbers of households, employment, and housing markets. In fact, many rural areas have had steady employment and healthy housing markets. Rural attractions often include proximity to natural recreation areas...

This edited collection presents successful business succession planning in smaller rural communities where profit margins are low, markets are shrinking, and there are few potential buyers. Finding innovative ways to successfully transition these businesses to new owners is at the heart of community and economic development efforts if many of these communities are to thrive in the future. Chapters outline options for successfully transitioning businesses that have worked in Canada, England...

This 50th anniversary publication provides a comprehensive history of community development. Beginning in 1970 with the advent of the Community Development Society and its journal shortly thereafter, Community Development, the editors have placed the chapters in major themed areas or issues pertinent to both research and practice of community development.The evolution of community development as an area of scholarship and application, and the subsequent founding of the dis...

Community visioning is key in helping local public officials and community leaders create a flourishing future for their cities, and is essential for the effective planning and implementation of these strategies. Visioning involves collaborative goal setting to motivate actions – of planners, citizens, and officials – in order to design and carry out a strategic planning process for the successful development of the community.The use of visioning since the 1980s has led to a wealth...

This 50th anniversary publication provides a comprehensive history of community development. Beginning in 1970 with the advent of the Community Development Society and its journal shortly thereafter, Community Development, the editors have placed the chapters in major themed areas or issues pertinent to both research and practice of community development.The evolution of community development as an area of scholarship and application, and the subsequent founding of the dis...

Communities have practiced strategic planning for decades using a variety of tools and programs based on the initial Take Charge programs of the early 1990s. These efforts generated a large amount of research regarding their effectiveness, as well as ways to measure long-term outcomes and other related issues, in efforts to better understand the process of community change.This book provides contributions written by researchers and practitioners describing both visioning and other ...