Community development planning consists of a public participatory and usually interactive form of town or neighborhood planning and design in which diverse community members (often termed “stakeholders”) contribute toward the formulation of the goals, objectives, planning, fund/resource identification, and direction, planned project implementations and re-evaluation of documented local planning policy. It is a logical “bottom-up” evolution of (formerly “top-down”) regional, city, and urban planning in an era of plateaued or diminishing public resources, increasing local burdens and responsibilities, and public activism. It often promotes public/private partnerships as a means to harness physical development activities in support of community-defined goals [The Green Book, 1979]. At a minimum, it seeks community consensus for proposed allocations of scarce resources among competing demands. In more vigorous application, community members access a full gamut of planning tools, shaping and being shaped by a shared understanding of a complex community information base, directly informing and guiding local plan content, influencing resulting development budgets, projects, and thus future infrastructure and land uses, as well as helping coordinate the work of overlapping jurisdictions, levels of government, internal and adjacent communities and various providers, such as business associations, utilities, and schools.

As a process, planning strives for an open, orderly approach to determine community needs, set goals and priorities, and develop a guide for local decision-making. Planning is also place-based, meaning that it focuses on the unique qualities of a place and attempts to include people from all walks of life in determining the future social, economic, and physical development of the community

Course Overview

This course provides an overview of the processes of community planning, and the theories in community development, discusses the methods of assessing community needs and assets, stakeholders engagement and collaboration, community organizations, data analysis, evaluating community development initiatives, and addressing challenges in community development.

Module 1

• Course Overview
• Introduction to Community Development Planning
• What is Community Development? An Introduction
• A quick check on your understanding of the introductory video above;
• Five Important Steps for Community Development Planning.
• A quick check on your understanding of the video above;
• Historical perspectives and key theories in community development
• Seven Theories in Community Development
• How Can Giddens’s Structuration Theory guide CD Practice?
• Rational Choice Theory
• A quick check on your understanding of the above video;
• Ethical considerations in community development initiatives
• Introduction to Behavioral Ethics | Concepts Unwrapped
• A quick check on your understanding of the above video;
• 1.4 Module 1 Quiz
• Module 1 Reference Documents

Module 2: Assessing Community Needs and Assets

• Introduction
• Community Needs Assesment
• A quick check on the basic steps involved in carrying out community needs assessment from the above video;
• Methods for Assessing Community Needs and Assets
• Qualitative studies
• Five Steps to Assessing Community Needs
• A quick check on your understanding of the above video;
• Identifying local resources and capacities
• Understanding Community Capacities and Assets
• Asset Mapping: What is It?
• A quick check on your understanding of the above video;
• Participatory approaches in community needs assessment
• Advantages of a Participatory Planning Approach
• The Levels of Participatory Planning
• Who Should Be Involved In A Participatory Planning Process?
• A Participatory Planning Process
• Convene the Planning Process
• Maintain the Planning Process
• Community Participation and Planning
• A quick check on the above video
• 2.4 Module 2 Quiz
• Module 2 References

Module 3: Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

• Introduction
• How to build a key stakeholder map | Stakeholder mapping | Lauren Kress
• A quick check on the video above
• Identifying Stakeholders and their Roles in Community Development
• Roles of Stakeholders in Community Development
• How to Identify Stakeholders Easily
• A Quick Check Quiz
• Identifying Stakeholders and their Roles in Community Development
• Strategies for Engaging and Involving Community Members
• Community Engagement: Strategic Planning for Schools and School Districts
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Building Partnerships with External Organizations and Government Agencies
• Working with the Representative and Accountable NGOs and Community-Based organizations
• 3.5 Module 3 Quiz
• Module 3 Reference Documents

Module 4: Community Organizations

• Introduction
• Community Organization
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Stages of Community Organization
• Stage Two: Design and Initiation of a Campaign.
• Stage Five: Dissemination and Durability.
• Community SWOT Analysis
• Strengths of the Community
• Weaknesses of Community
• Opportunities Available To Community
• How to Use SWOT Analysis
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Community Models
• Basic Models of Community Organization
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• 4.6 Module 4 Quiz
• Module 4 Reference Document

Module 5: Data Collection and Analysis

• Data collection methods and tools
• Types of Data
• Different Methods of Data Collection
• Quantitative Data Collection Methods
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Specific Data Collection Techniques
• Data Collection Tools
• Types of Data Collection Tools | 4 Different Data Collection Methods with Examples
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Maintenance of Integrity of Data Collection
• Challenges in Data Collection
• What is Data? Data Types, Storage and Management
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Data Collection Considerations and Best Practices
• Introduction to Data Ethics
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• 5.9 Module 5 Quiz
• Module 5 Reference Documents

Module 6: Project Management in Community Development

• Introduction
• Project Management Basics – Part 2 [THE ULTIMATE STARTER PACK]
• A Quick Check Quiz
• Project planning, implementation, and monitoring
• Levels in Planning
• Project Management/Life Process
• Gantt Chart: A tool for Project Planning and Scheduling
• Project Management in Under 5: What is a Gantt Chart?
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Resource allocation and budgeting
• Resource Allocation Methods
• Resource Allocation Tools
• The Resource Assignment Matrix – Key Concepts in Project Management
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Risk Management and Problem-Solving
• What is Risk Management? | Risk Management process
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• 6.5 Module 6 Quiz
• 6.6 Module 6 Reference Documents

Module 7: Evaluating Community Development Initiatives

• Introduction
• Evaluating Development Projects and Programs
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Importance of Evaluation in Community Development
• What is Impact Evaluation?
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Types of Evaluation and Evaluation Methods
• Types of Evaluation
• difference between formative and summative evaluation | impact evaluation further explained
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Summative Evaluation
• Implementation Evaluation
• Outcome Evaluation
• Impact Evaluation
• Performance Evaluation
• Cost-Benefit Analysis
• Utilizing Evaluation Results For Program Improvement
• Using Evaluation Findings to Improve Program Design and Implementation
• Communicating Program Impact through Evaluation Findings
• 7.5 Module 7 Quiz
• 7.6 Module 7 Reference Documents

Module 8: Addressing Challenges in Community Development

• Identifying common challenges in community development
• Community Development Process and Principles
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Challenges faced while building the communities
• Conflict resolution and consensus-building techniques
• Conflict Resolution
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Levels of Disagreement
• Resolving Conflict
• A Quick Check Quiz based on your understanding of the video above
• Strategies for sustaining community development efforts
• Building Sustainability into Project and Program Structure
• Examples of Sustainable Development
• Examples of Sustainable Development
• Module 8 Quiz
• Module 8 Reference Document

Module 9: Case Studies and Best Practices

• Overview of a Successful Community-Based Project in Nigeria
• Role of the World Bank / Relevance of Project Objectives and Design
• Factors Influencing the Success of Participatory Development Projects
• Application of Community-based Strategy for Improving Quality of Life
• Results
• Conclusion
• Module 9b: A Case Study Of A Community Center Project Based On Appropriate Technology As A Community Capacity Building Of Underdeveloped Country
• Introduction
• Process of Community Center Project
• Results/ Conclusion
• Module 9 Quiz
• Module 9 References
• Course Evaluation
• Final Quiz Questions
• Final Assignment