Community visioning is based upon principles that maximize group participation in a creative problem-solving process. The process itself is structured to solicit and use the full range of interests and expertise within a given community to develop an implementation plan that specifically addresses the needs of the community and that fosters change…

Describes rural implementation of the Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities program, which combines flexible long-term financing with strategic planning and performance benchmarking to empower impoverished communities to address structural problems comprehensively. Impressive 3-year results include job creation; improved community services;…

This handbook provides instructions to help communities form county rural development (CRD) committees. Guidelines are applicable to committee work in general and to community involvement in identifying and discussing local problems, determining community needs, setting goals, identifying available resources, securing adequate leadership, and…

The need to develop "family capital" (the attributes and skills that enable families to carry out their economic, social, and nurturing functions) in inner-city neighborhoods is the focus of this background briefing report. Part I of the report describes the characteristics and causes of distressed communities and their impact on families, and…

"Our Town: An Architectural Perspective" is a program for at-risk elementary school children which was instituted at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). The goal of this effort was to introduce built-environment awareness in the public schools, where the neighborhood serves as the classroom and as a vehicle for…

This document explains the use of a model for mapping community capacity and resources that was developed by the community development office of a health group in Edmonton, Alberta, and applied in a collaborative pilot project in preparation for development of a community health plan. A brief discussion of the factors leading to development of the…

This publication reports the development of the vocational-technical resource consortia in Ohio and identifies the operational procedures associated with successful programs. Five exemplary consortia were studied in some depth; however, data were obtained from all of the 23 consortia in the state. The research indicates that the consortium is an…