Page 18 - Economy_Local Development

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Communities are not only defined as a physical location such as the city, town or village where we live,
they can also be defined by common cultural heritage, language, and beliefs or shared interests, these are
sometimes called communities of interest. An individual can be part of a neighbourhood community,
a religious community and a community of shared interests all at the same time. The relationships,
whether with people or the land, define a community for each individual.

The term “development” often carries an assumption of growth and expansion. During the industrial era,
development was strongly connected to increased speed, volume and size. However, many people are
currently questioning the concept of growth for numerous reasons: a realization that more isn’t always
better, or an increasing respect for reducing outside dependencies and lowering levels of consumerism.
So while the term “development” may not always mean growth, it always implies change. The community
development process takes charge of the conditions and factors that influence a community and changes
the quality of life of its members. Community development is about community building where the
process is as important as the results. One of the primary challenges of community development is to
balance the need for long-term solutions with the day-to-day realities that require immediate
decision-making and short-term action. 1

Community development is a process by which communities:

- become more responsible
- organize and plan together
- develop healthy lifestyle options
- empower themselves
- reduce poverty and suffering
- create employment and economic opportunities
- achieve social, economic, cultural and environmental goals

Whereas the term “community capacity building” has evolved from past terms such as institutional
building and organizational development. In the 1950s and 1960s, these terms referred to community
development that focused on enhancing the technological and self-help capacities of individuals in rural
areas. In the 1970s, following a series of reports on international development, an emphasis was placed
on building capacity for technical skills in rural areas, and also in the administrative sectors of developing
countries. In the 1980s the concept of institutional development expanded even more. Institutional
development was viewed as a long-term process of building up a developing country’s government, public
and private sector institutions, and NGOs. Capacity building became a crucial topic during the 1990s. With
increasing concerns about environmental issues such as climate change, there has been a focus on
achieving sustainable development, or development that maximizes social, economic, and
environmental benefit in the long run while protecting the earth. During debates about how to achieve
sustainable development, it has become a common place to include discussions about local community
empowerment as well as “related concepts of participation, ownership, agency and bottom-up planning.”
In order to empower local communities to be self-sustaining, capacity building has become a crucial part of
achieving sustainable development.

1 http://www.peernetbc.com/what-is-community-development