NEWS:

2005 Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Coalition Convention

Harrisburg, PA

November 3, 2005

Surpassing the Short Sighted Vision: understanding business development, education development, economic development, public policy development, holistic community development

Community development is often understood differently by different stakeholders.  Business people have come to understand community development as profits, while educators emphasize teachers, students, facilities and the development of intellectual capital.  The mainstream holds that community development is simply housing or the enhancement of the tax base, jobs and attraction of new business.  A community may often times view its development via scopes of a single discipline, however, it truly flourishes via the successful interdependence of many perspectives and subunits.

How do you develop all of these perspectives?  How do you develop your business effectively?  Yours schools? Your city? Your state?  Your country? Your policies?  How do you develop an unprecedented comprehensive understanding of community development?  How do you develop an understanding that incorporates the many interpretations of other fields to stimulate the holistic development of the community? 

This workshop began to approach each of these perspectives and their assets, as well as recognize that the strategic facilitation of each could contribute to holistic community development. 

International Community Development Lab (ICDL)