About partners for livable

COMMUNITY BUILDING
As a concept, a body of theory and a field of practice, community building covers a broad set of 
meanings. But at its core, community building involves mobilizing community members to become 
agents in improving the quality of life where they live. Sometimes local leaders and community members 
accomplish this by working together, and sometimes it is done with the assistance of outside practitioners 
who are skilled in facilitating community processes to help bring about change. Partners’ work in helping 
communities develop their cultural heritage assets is one example of the many kinds of community 
building projects the organization has been involved with since its inception. 
For those unfamiliar with the concept of community building, it may be helpful to think of it in terms of 
what the National Civic League calls “civic infrastructure.” The organization defines civic infrastructure 
as the “formal and informal processes and networks through which communities make decisions and 
attempt to solve problems.” All communities have a civic infrastructure, but there is a great deal of 
variation in terms of how inclusive and transparent these processes and networks are. At one end of the 
spectrum, an “old boys’ network” makes all the decisions including who runs for political office, what 
problems get addressed and what deals get done. Other communities have encouraged (or acquiesced to) 
the greater participation of different groups “around the table.” 
Community building, in relation to the concept of a community’s civic infrastructure, means changing 
who decides what to do, how it should be done and who should do it. A community building project 
can be as simple as an ad hoc group of neighbors coming together to build tree boxes along the street to 
improve the neighborhood’s visual appeal. More significantly, parents and community members could 
form a support group for the local school, solicit donations from local businesses for resources and form 
volunteer corps of tutors and mentors to improve educational opportunities and outcomes. The key aspect 
is the engagement and participation of members of the community to produce a positive change in some 
aspect of the common quality of life.