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Overview
Community visioning and strategic planning programs have become increasingly important in recent years as local governments in rural areas have searched for innovative ways to revitalize their local economies or manage population growth. A panel of experts describes local government programs in ten states. They also evaluate the effectiveness in reaching the vision and objective set forth in these programs. The authors examine the main components of each program and offer insights into factors contributing to its success. Major attention is paid to the need for social capital, benchmarking, and continuing support following the initial efforts. The discussion in the book includes recommendations for starting a community strategic visioning exercise.
Synopsis
An examination of the effectiveness of visioning programs for community economic development.
Booknews
Eleven essays look at how community leaders manage change, be it in population levels, or a stagnating economy. Subjects include rural issues and trends, essential elements of strategic visioning, the agency-community relationship, issues and profiles in program design, measuring success and empowerment, preconditions for successful program implementation, the role of organizations in community-based development, continuing support practices, participant evaluation, emerging principles in local and state economic development, and common elements of successful programs. Four appendices offer two program assessment questionnaires, an evaluation of community visioning programs, and a profile of several programs. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.