Holistic community development is a framework for integrating social, economic, environmental, and cultural concerns into meaningful community initiatives. Development programs emphasize in-person connections, resource-sharing networks, and flexible collaborations with the goal of building and sustaining resilient, vibrant, and thriving communities.
Four Recommendations:
1. Community mission statements
Stating local community values and goals helps guide officials and citizens to focus on what they stand for and want to achieve.
2. In-person social connecting
A focus on personal contact—any excuse to bring people together, whether it’s “Hi Neighbor” events, resource and cultural festivals, library events, or livability initiatives like pocket parks—increasing the number of ways people can meet and socialize reduces social isolation and improves quality of life.
3. Workgroups for meetings
Encouraging less formal, more collaborative and friendly meetings enables participation by a wider range of community members, fosters greater trust, reduces stress, improves group decision-making, and strengthens social connections between participants.
4. Networking local resources
Creating a community directory listing of available resources encourages local talent and nonprofit resource providers to engage directly with the community. Consistent interactions between resource providers and the community increases citizen participation, improves quality of life, and benefits crisis management preparedness. Whether it’s overseeing how tax revenue is spent, or how new program risks are assessed—more effective resource networking can help assure current resource needs can also be met in the future.
It may seem simplistic to suggest that adopting simple functions like a mission statement, pocket parks, workgroups, and a directory of resources, can have dramatic effects that help local communities thrive. It is true that change can require a range of resources and interactions, however, adopting a strategy that promotes social connecting can support and encourage many activities that help communities.
Development plans should:
- Enable effective responses to local resource needs including disaster relief
- Reduce social isolation
- Increase citizen participation in local community activities and local government
- Rely on existing local community departments and groups