Generating Community Change 335both depends on and contributes to enhanced quality of life for each member of the
community: better housing, better education, enhanced recreational and cultural
opportunities and so on. Central to the concept of community development is the
idea of collective agency. Collective agency is the ability of a group of people – in
this case those living in the same community – to solve common problems together.
For community development – and collective agency – to occur, people in a com-
munity must believe that working together can make a difference and organize to
collectively address their shared needs.
Community development is much broader than economic development.
Indeed, one could argue that economic development could be antithetical to com-
munity development for two reasons: economic development does not necessarily
involve collective agency, and economic development may not result in an improve-
ment of the quality of life. For instance, the high rates of economic growth in the
‘boom towns’ have a negative impact on community development. The incomes
of some members of the community may increase, but as crime rates increase,
schools become overcrowded, housing prices soar and neighbourliness declines,
the quality of life for the majority of the residents may deteriorate. This is particu-
larly true when economic growth in the community is triggered by an absentee
firm, whether it is an oil or coal company, a national meatpacker, a recreational
conglomerate or a transnational manufacturing company.
When we look at community development, we will focus on what local people
do to improve the overall quality of life of the community. In the difficult economic
times of the 1990s and 2000s, economic development was and is seen as the domi-
nant means for community betterment. But bringing in jobs is not enough. And
bringing the wrong type of jobs may decrease the community’s quality of life. We
will now examine approaches taken by community members and leaders to improve
their collective well-being and how these approaches relate to collective agency.
Models of Community Development
Community problem solving does not take place automatically, even in a com-
munity like New Richland. Problems have to be identified, potential solutions
considered, organizational means put in place and resources mobilized. There are
a number of models of community development that can facilitate this happening.
Let us look at alternative models of community organization to see which might
serve in different types of communities.
Three major approaches to community development have been laid out by
James Christenson (1989): the self-help, technical assistance and conflict models.
Each of the different approaches identifies a different role for the change agent, a
different orientation to task versus process, different clientele, a different image of
the individual, a different conception of the basis of change, a different core prob-
lem to be addressed and a different action goal.