Toward An Essential Definition Of Community Development

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Abstract
The field of community development covers a vast domain, embracing a variety of seemingly unconnected activities. Practitioners recognize the need for an essential definition of community development which could unify the field and reinforce its claim to legitimacy. This paper discusses the possibility that the problem of defining community development has grown out of the problem of defining community alone. A middle ground definition of community is presented, and the hallmarks of community development are outlined. The resulting “essential definition” is offered as a tentative one awaiting the inputs of others for refinement. The continued efforts of community development practitioners and academicians are expected to lead to the discovery of a much needed “conceptual umbrella.”

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