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Author:   James S. Gruber
Publisher:   New Society Publishers
Imprint:   New Society Publishers
Dimensions:   Width: 19.10cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 22.50cm
Weight:   0.562kg
ISBN:  

9780865719323

ISBN 10:   0865719322
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   19 May 2020
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction A Journey of Discovery 1. Challenges of Our Communities: Growing Local Leadership Local Communities: The Foundation of Society Challenges That Local Communities Are Facing Community Capital: What It Is and Why It Matters The Guiding Principles: How They Were Identified and How They Can Be Helpful How This Book Is Organized 2. Principle A— Involve Everyone The Cornerstone of Society Research Corner Why Public Participation Is Essential Case Study: Citizen-Powered Climate Action, Keene, New Hampshire, USA Case Study: Development without Dependency, Gran Sous, La Gonave, Haiti Notes from the Field 3. Principle B— Work Together Collaborative Partnerships Research Corner Social Capital— The Social Glue That Holds the Community Together Leveraging Resources and Supporting Implementation Case Study: Community Gardens: An Immigrant Story of Food Sovereignty in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Case Study: Grow Appalachia and Rural Community Gardening, Kentucky, USA Notes from the Field 4. Principle C— Protect Resources and Promote Fairness Community-Based Natural Resource Management Research Corner Natural Capital and Livelihoods Case Study: Building a New Future for All Residents, Ixtlán de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico Case Study: Reclaiming Wood, Bricks, Lives, and a Community, Baltimore, Maryland, USA Case Study: Women's Empowerment Through Sustainability in India Notes from the Field 5. Principle D— Be Transparent Build Credibility Through Transparency Effective Communication and Secrets Research Corner Case Study: Vital Communities of the Upper Valley Region, Vermont and New Hampshire, USA Case Study: Regenerating and Transforming a Village's Land and Water Resources, Hiware Bazar, India Notes from the Field 6. Principle E— Support Research Asking the Right Questions and Separating Facts from Fiction Research Corner Citizen Science and Citizen Technical Advisors Local Community-University Partnerships Case Study: Resilience to Food Insecurity, Bikotiba, Togo Case-in-Point: An Outdoor Student Environmental Learning Lab, Keene, New Hampshire, USA Case Study: Mobilizing the Local Voice to Support Protected Area Governance, Magombera Forest, Tanzania Notes from the Field 7. Principle F— Delegate and Empower Devolution and Empowerment Research Corner Case Study: Community-Led Sustainable Development in Northern Ghana Case Study: Climate Change and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed: Where Will All the Water Go? Minnesota, USA Notes from the Field 8. Principle G— Earn Trust Building Trust is Integral to All Community Work Research Corner Essentials for Building Trust in a Community Case Study: Randolph Community Forest, New Hampshire, USA Case Study: Restoring the Strong People: The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Elwha River Notes from the Field 9. Principle H— Embrace Feedback Monitoring and Feedback: Using Nature as a Guide Research Corner Seeking Feedback: How Do I Get People to Respond? Feedback and Accountability of Local Leaders Case Study: Healing Products and Healthy Business: The W.S. Badger Story, Gilsum, New Hampshire, USA. Case Study: The Conservation and Sustainable Management of an Inshore Fishery in Alanya, Turkey Notes from the Field 10. Principle I— Practice Leadership Critical Leadership Actions Research Corner Case Study: Local Community Collaboration in the Apuseni Mountains, Huedin, Romania Case Study: Inner City Urban Recovery, South Bend, Indiana, USA Notes from the Field 11. Principle J— Decide Together Moving from Them to Us Research Corner Common Characteristics and Challenges of Deciding Together Case Study: Bring Them Together— Young Achievers School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Case Study: Wetlands Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Ecuadorian Andes, Ecuador Notes from the Field 12. Principle K— Strengthen the Foundation A Strong Social Foundation Research Corner Community Norms— Or, What is Normal? Building a Stronger Social Foundation for Your Community Case Study: Getting Unstuck: A Congregation Moving From Surviving to Thriving, Norwich, Vermont, USA Case-in-Point: Connecting Underrepresented Families to Their Local Environment, North Carolina, USA Case Study: Creating Local Community Foundations in the Baltic Countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania Notes from the Field 13. Principle L— Resolve Conflicts Preventing Conflict Research Corner Understanding and Addressing Conflict Case Study: Community-Driven Regional Land Use and Transportation Planning in Southern New Hampshire, USA Case Study: The Hunter, His Herbs, and Community Biodiversity in Fian, Ghana Notes from the Field 14. A Toolbox of Leadership Strategies Collaborative Leadership and Empowerment A Collaborative Planning Approach Notes from the Field: Planning, Organizing, and Facilitating a Community Meeting The Way Forward Notes Index About the Author and the Contributing Case Study Authors About New Society Publishers

Reviews

""Building Community is a welcome contribution to the world of sustainable community development. Jim Gruber has assembled a guide to essential research, case studies and tools to help citizens and community leaders address fundamental issues of participatory democracy. This vital resource for community building illuminates a path for reconstructing formidable problems into tangible solutions."" — Dr. Mark Roseland, professor and director, School of Community Resources and Development, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, Arizona State University, author, Toward Sustainable Communities ""This book pulls together decades of invaluable field work to illuminate essential principles of practice for transforming ""intractable problems"" into challenges that together we can solve. This is crucial reading for all who feel compelled to lead, not because they have authority, but simply because they care deeply about their community and world."" — Ronald A. Heifetz, MD, founder, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School, author, Leadership Without Easy Answers, co-author, Leadership on the Line ""At a time when we are confronted daily with the limitations of national and global institutions to address the pressing challenges facing our planet, this engaging book reminds us of the vital role that strong local communities play in creating a resilient future. Gruber considers the challenging question— how can communities move from surviving to thriving?— and answers it in terms that are at once inspiring and pragmatic. Framed around 12 principles and illustrated with experience from communities in regions as diverse as rural New England, Andean South America, West Africa, and the Baltics, Building Community provides us with clear, approachable guidance on how to move in that direction."" — Jessica Brown, executive director, New England Biolabs Foundation ""Building Community is a remarkable guidebook on how to get controversial but critically important things done at the local level. It is also a highly insightful but down-to-earth leadership manual for individuals committed to making a contribution at the community level. As a decades-long practitioner of American democracy promotion abroad with a strong interest in comparative political cultures and in nurturing effective leadership, I was stunned by the extraordinary range of issues, countries, and situations addressed in this book's rich set of case studies. It is a must read for those seeking to make a lasting difference at the local level, while at the same time strengthening the building blocks of their democracy."" — Ambassador Adrian A. Basora (USFS, Ret.), principal author, Does Democracy Matter? ""Jim Gruber shares the lessons of a valuable career helping local communities learn how to solve their environmental and sustainability challenges. He identifies guiding principles that show how collaborative approaches succeed in communities across the globe. I am so impressed that I gave a copy to my mayor!"" — Dr. David Blockstein, senior adviser, Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) ""While the leadership principles presented in Building Community are used in addressing environmental issues, they would be valuable for problem solving relating to any persistent, systemic problem facing a community. Gruber highlights how these communities not only worked to resolve seemingly intractable problems, but also built community muscle. Make room on your bookshelf for this substantive work."" — David Mathews, president, Kettering Foundation ""James Gruber has captured the essence of what it means to collaborate with a community of stakeholders in order to achieve sustainability. His ""how to"" blueprint contained in the twelve principles coupled with his insightful analysis of specific case studies, makes this a must read for students, academics, and practitioners alike."" — John MacLean, retired Keene New Hampshire city manager, senior consultant, MRI ""As we move through this century, functional communities will become critical for personal wellbeing. In this very user-friendly guide, Jim Gruber clearly maps out how people can create inclusive, vital communities. Packed with case studies and very helpful hints, this is a gem of a resource for anyone wanting to strengthen their own community."" — Tom Wessels, author, Granite, Fire, and Fog, Reading the Forested Landscape, and The Myth of Progress, faculty emeritus, Antioch University ""Gandhi repeatedly said that to defeat systems of domination like British imperialism you need militant forms of nonviolent resistance, but to build just, thriving, and sustainable communities you need to organize many local, collaborative, inclusive, and constructive community initiatives and institutions. James Gruber's new book powerfully fleshes out this second path for community leaders today—with relevant research, stories from around the world, and hard-won wisdom distilled from Gruber's many years of practical experience."" — Dr. Steve Chase, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict ""James Gruber, a highly experienced civil engineer, town manager, university faculty member, and consultant presents rich ""case study"" examples of successful community initiatives and projects that have made positive impacts nationally and internationally, countering the obstacles that lead to continued apathy and despair. Gruber provides guiding principles for essential leadership and building citizen engagement. More importantly, he provides a powerful antidote to withdrawal and isolation, while giving a gift of inspiration and hope."" — James H. Craiglow, President Emeritus, Antioch University New England ""Building Community is a roadmap and blueprint for working with local people in a collaborative manner so that everyone can make a significant contribution towards sustainable societal transformation."" — Dr. Esther Adhiambo Obonyo, Associate Professor of Engineering Design and Architectural Engineering, director, Global Building Network, a partnership with UNECE

Author Information

James S. Gruber, PhD, PE, is Director of the PhD Program in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England, a member of the IUCN Council for Environmental Economic and Social Policy, and a recent delegate to the UN Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. He has consulted for governments and NGOs in the US, Eastern Europe, South America, and Africa on environmental issues and local governance, focusing on citizen empowerment in developing and implementing policy and programs. His work over the past three decades as a consultant, solar and environmental engineer, town manager, and university professor has had a strong focus on local citizen engagement and facilitating positive adaptive change in local communities. He resides in Alstead, New Hampshire.

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