This research explored the power of dominant partnerships in promoting community development. Two local communities sited in a coastal West African town, recorded notable transformation as a result of their members' long-standing interaction with a famous close by higher education institution. With a sample of three hundred and seventy-two…

While the policy approach in Urban Regeneration Partnership tends to be viewed as participatory governance using an urban studies lens, this article posits an alternative theorisation that takes an adult education perspective. We draw from Lefebvre's notion of "space", Engeström's "Cultural Historical Activity Theory" and…

Recent advances in gas and oil drilling technology have led to dramatic boomtown development in many rural areas that have endured extended periods of economic decline. In Pennsylvania's Marcellus gas fields, the recent development of unconventional shale gas resources has not been without controversy. It has been variously framed as a major…

The most pressing social problems facing humanity in the 21st century are what systems theorist Russell Ackoff referred to as "messes"--complex dynamic systems of problems that interact and reinforce each other over time. In this article, the authors argue that the lack of progress in managing messes is in part due to the predominance of…

Given increasing political and financial commitments to wildfire preparedness, risk policy demands that risk identification, assessment, and mitigation activities are balanced among diverse resident groups. Essential for this is the understanding of residents' perceptions of wildfire risks. This study compares wildfire-risk perceptions of…

Through cross-disciplinary and participatory processes involving key stakeholders from the Zambian education sector, as well as from the traditional leadership structure, a localized HIV/AIDS-prevention strategy, Interactive School and Community Approach (ISACA), was developed and implemented throughout one province between 2002 and 2006. The…

The purpose of the study was to make a qualitative assessment of the impact of school consolidation on several rural Nebraska communities that have recently lost their schools. This research uses a multiple-case study design with interviews conducted in three Nebraska communities. The data from this research fell into four broad themes: social…

Discusses factors affecting attitudes of community leaders and residents toward community change. Leaders' and residents' attitudes are compared. Presents strategies for more effective local action relevant to community development practitioners. (JOW)

The arts can play a role in regeneration of areas of economic, social, cultural, and environmental disadvantage. Field study of four arts projects in Scotland identified (1) the need for community consultation and involvement; (2) uses of hard and soft data; (3) strategic use of the arts within overall community regeneration policy; and (4) the…

Examines the ritualistic nature of community art, distinguishing elements and qualities essential for it to effectively generate private, organic relationships in settings where public independent relationships prevail. Research on two community art projects indicates that community art provides a ritual framework for social interaction by…

This published dissertation discusses the community development process as applied to urban black ghettoes. It provides extensive documentation on the many issues, concepts, and procedures in the field of community development. The method employed in collecting the data is a through review of existing literature in the topical areas for relevance…

Describes study of boomtown characteristics of Park City, Utah, a rural community affected by recreational development since 1970. Finds that residents experienced stresses and social problems similar to those of energy-development boomtowns, including declining quality of life, higher cost of living, and family, social and drug problems. (LFL)

This paper looks systematically at the experiences of two demonstration projects, Plain Talk and Community Change for Youth Development (CCYD), and discusses their attempts to implement resident involvement strategies. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 provides a brief overview of the two demonstration projects that indicates all sites in…

In 1978, the U.S. Congress established the Pinelands National Reserve on a million-acre landscape of New Jersey woodlands, farms, marshes, suburbs, towns, rivers, and bays. The reserve was to protect not only the region's great natural beauty and scientific value, but also the cultural life of its people, which is largely undocumented. In 1983,…

The theoretical differentiation of the village from the town is made on the basis of a complex of characteristics, which includes: the village was engaged mainly in agriculture; the culture, living conditions and organization of public services were far behind those of the town; the village did not exercise the functions of an administrative,…