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In 1978, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international health community convoked a conference in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, to address global inequalities in health. The conference resulted in the publication of the "Declaration of Alma-Ata," which made the ambitious call "for urgent action by all governments, all health and development workers, and the world community to protect and promote the health of all the people of the world." In addition, a new tool, primary health care, was developed to carry out this project. In this research project, the author examines the district of Kedougou and the conditions of health and of primary health care therein as they are defined in the "Declaration of Alma-Ata." Kedougou provided a well-focused lens through which to analyze the principles of primary health care and the goals set out in the "Declaration of Alma-Ata"; and, conversely, the "Declaration of Alma-Ata" provided a framework through which to gauge the health problems, their causes, and the possible solutions in the district of Kedougou. Before focusing specifically on Kedougou, the author attempts to put the conditions of health of Kedougou and of Senegal into context by examining international differences in health--specifically between the United States and Senegal. The "Results" portion of this paper examines the official structures of primary health care that are concentrated in the city of Kedougou. One of the main focuses in the "analysis" portion of this paper is the "related sectors" of "community development," such as agriculture and nutrition, in the rural areas of Kedougou. Finally, because health is defined in the "Declaration of Alma-Ata" as not only "the absence of disease and infirmity," but also as a "state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing," the cultural practices surrounding seeking and giving health care are also briefly examined in the "Analysis." The author concludes that solutions to the main health problems of Kedougou, or of any community for that matter, are not to be found in documents. Instead, all feasible solutions and successful actions for improvement in health must be found within the community concerned. Not only are the main health problems best understood by the community itself, but any successful attempt to resolve them cannot be carried out without the active participation of the community. (Contains 21 notes.)

Business improvement districts (BIDs) have become increasingly prevalent entities in urban neighbourhoods and communities. BIDs are non-profit organisations established to deliver public services and improve economic conditions by imposing additional assessments on property owners. BIDs are invariably intertwined with the communities they are established to serve, and as a result understanding the complex relationship between BIDs and communities is imperative. This paper seeks to evaluate the role historical community development and community actors play in the development and implementation of BIDs by utilising a case study analysis of two BIDs in the New York City borough of Staten Island. Findings from this study reveal that historical patterns of community development are the principal determinant of the organisational objectives and budget allocation of BIDs. Further research concerning the interconnection between communities and BIDs is also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses some of the papers presented at the social capital workshop and conference held in Cornell University in Ithaca, New York on September 2002. Conceptual and methodological universe into which social capital fits; Role of social capital in local or community development.

The growing dominance of the creative economy challenges cities and regions to move beyond the impulse toward "big ticket" economic development strategies like stadiums and convention centres and consider increased support for community-level strategies that encourage social and cultural diversity. Vibrant street scenes, eclectic restaurants and social venues, and acceptance of those who defy the cultural norms produce the places where creative, innovative, and talented people want to live and work. This creative class represents a critical component to economic success and prosperity. The research described in this paper underscores the economic importance of national and regional policy issues like the nurturing of arts and creativity in communities and educational systems, immigration and settlement policies, and support for marginalized populations like the gay and lesbian community. Recent American efforts to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples and curtail immigration could have unfortunate economic consequences by limiting the creative and innovative possibilities associated with a vibrant and diverse society. Conversely, Canada's recent movement toward legalization of civil marriage for same-sex couples bodes well as a demonstration of a willingness to embrace and support social and cultural diversity. (Contains 3 figures and 9 endnotes.)

Asserting that exploration of the role of higher education in community building is not unique to the United States, describes examples of collaborative efforts involving universities and communities working together in the United States, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, and Mexico. (EV)

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Reports on the submission of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials of papers campaigning for housing and community development to Congress in the U.S. Criticisms on local housing agencies; Support for federal investment on affordable housing and community development programs; Distribution of capital funds to public housing agencies.

This article presents an interview with Juan Sepulveda. Sepulveda was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the position of Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics on May 19, 2009. In this capacity, Sepulveda is responsible for directing the efforts of the White House Initiative in engaging Hispanic students, parents, families, organizations, and anyone working in or with the education system in communities nationwide as active participants in improving the academic achievement of Hispanic Americans. For the last twenty years, Sepulveda has been a senior executive, strategist, and advocate in the nonprofit and philanthropic communities, with a focus in community development, capacity building, and transformational management. In this interview, Sepulveda shares why he accepted the position as executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. He also shares his views on solving the issue of Latino parental engagement in education which solves a major part of the educational attainment problem.

This article synthesizes research on social capital, school outcomes, internet use, and volunteering to argue that e-mentoring--which is commonly practiced over long distances--could become a powerful way to build greater cohesiveness in local communities. Realizing this potential will require a larger-scale and more coordinated approach to research and program design, as well as a change in e-mentoring researchers' methods. The payoff for these changes would be greater opportunity for e-mentoring research to contribute to social policy and school effectiveness initiatives.

Faith ethos education has subjective elements in it that are elusive to planners and administrators of national and international systems. This paper looks at how Sikhs, a minority group both in India and in other countries to which they have migrated manage to retain their faith-based education programmes successfully and yet relate to the educational systems and practical needs of the society in which they live and work. The countries studied are India, the UK and the USA. Although recognition has been given to faith-based education in community development by international planners, the factors that link spiritual development and culture in education with social development have been neglected in research on education's contribution to socio-economic development. Sikh culture and education offer a case study which illuminates this. (Contains 4 notes.)

Economic changes and the machinations of the treadmill of production have dramatically reduced the number of jobs provided by extractive industries, such as mining and timber, in the United States and other affluent nations in the post-World War II era. As the importance of these industries to national, regional, and local economies wanes, community resistance to ecologically and socially destructive industry practices threatens the political power of corporations engaged in natural-resource extraction. Here we argue that to maintain their power (and profits) as their contribution to employment declines, extractive industries have increased their efforts to maintain and amplify the extent to which the "economic identity" of communities is connected with the industry that was historically an important source of employment. We fit this argument within the neo-Marxian theoretical tradition, which emphasizes the roles ideology and legitimation play in maintaining elite rule. We illustrate this theorized process by analyzing the efforts of the West Virginia coal industry, which, through its (faux) "grassroots" front group "Friends of Coal," attempts to construct the image that West Virginia's economy and cultural identity are centered on coal production. Our analysis relies on content analysis of various sources and on experience gained from field research. We find that key strategies of the Friends of Coal include efforts to become pervasively visible in the social landscape and the appropriation of cultural icons that exploit the hegemonic masculinity of the region. These findings have implications for how industries around the country, and the world, work to maintain their power through ideological manipulation. (Contains 4 figures, 7 footnotes and 1 table.)

This article sets Dorothy Bass' Christian practices movement in critical dialogue with U.S. Latina/o popular religion in order to explore ways that these distinctive sets of practices could enrich one another. Then, it focuses on "shaping communities" as a Christian practice and correlates it with the U.S. Latina/o popular religious practices enacted by a predominantly Mexican-American congregation in East Los Angeles, California. It concludes by examining the implications for U.S. Latina/o religious education in light of Jose Irizarry-Mercado's concepts of "bilingual aesthetic and inter-cultural experience."

Sustainable development initiatives are proliferating in the US and Europe as engineering educators seek to provide students with knowledge and skills to design technologies that are environmentally sustainable. Many such initiatives involve students from the "North," or "developed" world building projects for villages or communities in the "South." Sustainable development projects in engineering education are being lauded for meeting multiple educational outcomes and providing students with important international training. This paper argues that such programmes need to educate students to think critically about their role as development professionals, to understand and value the role of community in development projects, and to develop long-term assessment criteria for such projects. It argues that engineering educators need to meaningfully engage the "community" in sustainable community development.

There are over 200 identified community based indicator projects in the United States. This paper reviews the factors that contribute to the success and failure of community indicator projects and discusses the types of desired outcomes that communities are trying to achieve. Both organizational and political factors contributing to the success of community indicators projects are discussed. Appendices include information on many of the community indicator projects in the United States. Advice for communities seeking to launch an indicator project are outlined.

Sustainability is a contested concept. Whilst the "triple bottom line" is sometimes used to describe the economic, social and ecological dimensions of sustainability, there are differing conceptions of what this notion implies. There are nevertheless some recurring themes that are outlined in this paper. There has also been some convergence in notions of "sustainable communities" and "healthy communities". Balanced integration of economic, social and ecological dimensions remains a challenge for policy-makers, educators and community members. (Contains 4 figures and 1 endnote.)

The network of Cooperative Extension professionals across the United States offers fertile ground for the development of intergenerational partnerships in communities. Cooperative Extension programming prioritizes implementation of evidence-based curricula. This paper provides a reflection of an intergenerational program that adapted evidence-based preschool nutrition education for an intergenerational setting by collaborating with Virginia Cooperative Extension. Specifically, we detail how Cooperative Extension personnel are valuable community partners for implementing evidence-based practices in intergenerational programming via curriculum adaptation. Integrating evidence-based curricula and intergenerational practices can support program sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the announcement made by the publication entitled "Natural Resources Forum," a quarterly journal issued by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and published by Blackwell, urging interested parties to submit papers in the U.S. The publication calls interested parties to submit papers for a special series over the 2007-2009 period on themes to be considered by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development on its 16th and 17th sessions. Interested parties who wish to submit articles should follow the criteria set by the publication. Presented are the details of the deadline for submission of entries and the rules in writing the abstract.

Louisiana consistently ranks as one of the most corrupt states in the nation. In fact, the Pelican State is the most corrupt state when looking at the most common indicator of corruption: corruption convictions per 100,000. What is less clear about Louisiana is how the state became corrupt. This paper seeks to provide the missing link. I argue that the high levels of corruption in the state can be explained by its origins in French civil law. This historical influence has perverse and persistent effects on the state, despite occurring over 200 years ago. Through these origins in civil law, corruption in Louisiana impacts its economic institutions. These institutions then lead to a variety of other bad outcomes in the state such as a high dependency on oil and low incomes. This argument implies that resource dependency is bad for development only when institutional quality is low. By linking legal origins to corruption, institutions, and economic outcomes, I seek to offer a clearer explanation for why Louisiana sets itself apart from other states in its politically corrupt environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts-based community development practices have received newfound prominence over the past decade under the auspices of "creative placemaking." In 2010, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) published a white paper titled "Creative Placemaking" and launched a new granting program focused on this practice called Our Town. Today, creative placemaking is burgeoning yet its precise definition remains fuzzy. This article uses content analysis to systematically analyze the 569 Our Town grants awarded by the NEA since the program's inception to inductively define creative placemaking based on the values embedded into project proposals, comparing these values with the NEA's stated Our Town goals. I find that creative placemaking, at least as funded in the U.S. through Our Town, can be defined as public or community-based art that includes values of place-specificity, collaboration, and participation, and which results in three forms of community development outcomes: economic development, bolstering social capital and participation, and improved cultural infrastructure. As creative placemaking evolves, equity is increasingly a concern, shifting focus toward the latter two outcomes as more measurable and desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on area vocational-technical schools, this article describes several successful vocational programs across the U.S. and explains their role in community improvement, economic development, adult education, and community activities. (LRA)

Copyright of Southeastern Geographer is the property of University of North Carolina Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Current British urban policy reflects the importance of the concept of mixed communities as a means of achieving sustainable communities. This paper will argue that the relationship expressed in UK policies between 'mixed' and 'sustainable' communities tends to refer to the final stage of the (re)development process of a community (the product), with far less consideration of all the in-between phases (the process). By comparing actual experiences in two US cities with the UK's policy intentions, this paper suggests that one of the implications of the emphasis on 'product' rather than 'process' is that the aims of sustainable communities may not be realised because they may be diverted during the process and because the in-between phases themselves could be intrinsically unsustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an attempt to use a theoretical framework of social action to analyze and describe how a small community in the Lead Belt of Missouri acquired fire protection through volunteer group effort. The analysis showed that a theoretical social action model is a useful tool for studying the group processes involved in community development. The results indicate that a community development contest acts as a catalytic agent in stimulating volunteer group efforts toward the improvement of physical facilities in a community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than five decades, the federal, state, and local governments have subsidized mass transit systems through sales, gasoline, and property taxes with an expectation that it would improve mobility to low-income citizens, reduce carbon footprints and traffic congestion, and facilitate regional economic growth. However, in times of financial crisis and chronic government budget deficits, the inefficient use of a mass transit system can increase public outcry over the wasteful spending of government funds and taxpayers' monies. To find ways to utilize mass transit systems more efficiently across the United States, this paper aimed to identify the benchmark transit practices that every mass transit system can emulate and then continuously improve its performance. To achieve these goals, this paper analyzed the multiple years of past performances of 262 mass transit agencies in the United States using data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist productivity index and then provided practical guidelines for enhancing mass transit efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Management Issues / Problemy Zarządzania is the property of Problemy Zarzadzania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper we analyse how conceptions of nature and rural space, combined with broader structural influences-particularly rural restructuring and neoliberal ideology-impact community development in rural amenity areas. Building on qualitative data (in-depth interviews, photo-elicitation, and participant observation), the paper applies interactional theory of community to analyse the amenity-based restructuring narratives of two rural communities: Bayfield County in Wisconsin, USA, and Hitra/Frøya in Norway. Three primary conclusions are drawn: 1) while amenity-led development occurs because of rural contrast, the trappings of urban life are growing in importance; 2) consumption may be the driving force behind growth and change in many 'post-productivist' rural areas, but landscapes are actively produced to capitalize upon local amenities; and 3) the study areas are in different phases of maturation, where Norwegian social attitudes about land seem to be shifting from a 'traditional' mentality towards a more 'American' mentality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nobel Prize winner Muhammed Yunus founded the Grameen Bank as an uncollateralized microcredit lender to im-poverished borrowers because he thought you could trust all poor people to pay loans back. His"Grameencredit" tactics, combined with the Bank's goal of elevating the status of the poor through providing business opportunities, epitomizes the "social en-trepreneurialism" intention of community economic development ("CED"). But can the borrowing practices of Grameencredit em-ployed in Asian village communities can be successfully trans-ferred to different environments such as the U.S.? This paper provides a brief description of the economic, legal, and cultural factors in Bangladesh and other developing Asian countries that shaped the concept of Grameencredit, summarizes the history of microcredit within the U.S., compares the environ-ment in developing Asian countries against the U.S., and examines why differences between the two environments present obstacles to direct transfer and successful application of the Grameencredit model. This paper argues that many of the obstacles to transferring the Grameencredit model specifically and microcredit generally to the U.S. marketplace are not easily corrected through changes to he models alone. Barriers of competition, licensing, and threats of liability are factors that Grameencredit does not face in devel-oping Asia, its formative environment. Simple attempts to address these barriers such as adjustments in loan size are made alter the intended use for the loan and change the nature of the financing service. Coupled with the significantly different credit needs of im-poverished Americans, as compared to the borrowers in develop-ing countries, the usefulness of microcredit as a CED program in the U.S. becomes questionable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many regions of the United States, including the Midwest, have recently undergone significant demographic change. Much of this Midwestern demographic change, particularly in rural areas, has been due to the recruitment of low-paid workers for food processing industries. Though immigrants remain concentrated in their traditional urban destinations, many are choosing other locales as well, including rural destinations in states that historically have not drawn immigrants. Such shifts have increased the racial and ethnic diversity of many small communities whose formal structures of decision making and planning are ill-equipped to deal with the resulting social heterogeneity. The paper points out that much of the inclusive planning perspective is based on the experience of metropolitan areas and large cities. To look at multiculturalism and planning rather through the lens of rural communities' rapid diversification achieves insights useful to the ongoing dialogue in planning scholarship. Through the case study of a demographically rapidly changing small community in the Midwest, the paper highlights the planning challenges and opportunities there and recommends agendas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three complementary and overlapping foci for interprofessional education (IPE) - preparing individuals for collaborative practice; learning to work in teams; and developing services to improve care - have been presented previously as a threefold classification derived from a systematic review (Barr et al., 2005). This paper adds discussion of a fourth: improving the quality of life in communities. The fourth focus is less often found in the literature and is described more fully in this paper. It embodies six approaches to interprofessional learning, discussed in the paper, that are thought to be particularly relevant to the work of Pathways into Health with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, and more widely wherever collaborative learning and practice are invoked to improve quality of community life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I make some summarizing comments regarding the papers in this special issue. I argue that we have entered a product-specialization stage in regional science scholarship and that there may now be a need for some broad synthesizing research such as that characteristic of earlier years of the research venture. I contend that studies of regional growth and development constitute "the highest form of the regional scientist's art." And I argue for greater consideration to be given to disaggregating our variables by demographics and paying greater attention to geographic units and scales. In that spirit, I present some information about the forthcoming new system of Core-Based Statistical Areas. I use an experimental version of the new system of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas to illustrate some urban-scale effects evident in recent county-level growth trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]