Why Some Communities Succeed, Why Some Fail--and What to Do About It

When it comes to creating jobs and improving local quality of life, some communities succeed and others fail. But why? What explains this? Many previous answers to this question have been largely subjective. In this book, however, a clearly objective analysis is presented, which boils down to five principal factors: Civic Condition-the intent and quality of a community's civic discourse and interaction Civic Capacity-the human, financial and technical resources of a community Civic Strategies and Initiatives-the direction a community chooses to pursue Civic Action-the activities a community implements to advance strategies and initiatives Civic Commitment-the intrinsic understanding a community has that it is responsible for its own future These five factors are presented using a metaphor from nature-the Two-Fruited Tree-which aids in describing how the fruits of community and economic development (increased prosperity and quality of life) depend upon these factors. This book not only explains why some communities succeed and others fail, but it offers very practical approaches and methods to improve communities.