50 Years of Community Development: A History of Its Evolution and Application in North America

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 discipline, is vital to capture. At the 50-year mark, it is particularly relevant to revisit issues that reoccur throughout the last five decades and look at approaches to addressing them. These include issues and themes around equity and inclusion, collective impact, leadership and policy development, as well as resilience and sustainability. Community change over time has much to teach us, and this set will provide a foundation for fostering understanding of the history of community development and its focus on community change.

The chapters in this book were originally published in the journal Community Development.

Norman Walzer is Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Governmental Services, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, USA.

Rhonda Phillips is Dean, Purdue University Honors College, West Lafayette, USA.

Robert Blair is Professor of Public Administration and Urban Studies at the College of Public Affairs, University of Nebraska, Omaha, USA.