Focuses on the issue of selecting the unit of analysis when employing secondary data in rural community studies and provides an empirical demonstration of the influence of selecting one unit of analysis over another. (JOW)

Coastal communities face difficult choices regarding the use if their waterfront resources. The complexity of issues, contradictory scientific evidence, different visions of the future, and uncertainty regarding community interests add to the difficulty of reaching consensus. The community of Oconto, Wisconsin, attempted to integrate technical and…

In the strategic planning process used by citizens in McPherson County, Kansas, discussions were dominated by the view of community as a county-wide issue. (JOW)

Describes Healthy Cities Indiana, which adapts the European and Canadian Healthy Cities experience within the content of Indiana and the United States. Presents the Healthy Cities process, including city commitment, committee formation, community leadership development, city action, provision of information to policymakers, and action research and…

A case study of health reform in British Columbia followed four health-planning groups' efforts to foster community participation by developing local community health plans. Findings from the case study can inform the theory and practice of community development. (JOW)

Community mapping is defined as follows: efforts to (1) understand the world as a landscape of many aspects and values; (2) identify areas that appear to have a degree of unity; (3) explain why things are the way they are; and (4) identify opportunities for positive social action and policy development. (113 references) (JOW)

Discusses three simulation games focusing on social and economic interaction that can be used to enhance understanding and sensitivity in development studies training: the Green Revolution Game (rural development in India), Exaction (a whole national society game commissioned by the World Bank), and Africulture (a new game about labor-scarce…