Community Development

Community Development is a key priority for local and state government agencies, focusing on improving the quality of life in communities through economic growth, housing, and social services. By fostering strong, vibrant communities, governments can address poverty, unemployment, and access to resources. This directory provides articles on community development and related topics like Economic Development, which explores strategies for job creation and attracting investments that drive regional growth.

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The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. Working in partnership with the 49 state municipal leagues, NLC serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 19,000 cities, villages and towns it represents.
Grant funding empowers local governments to create and sustain age-friendly communities
A Georgia pastor wants to use a vacant building that previously housed a residential drug treatment program for teenagers to house up to 50 unaccompanied migrant children. Residents, however, are pushing back.
The narrative that Americans are constantly moving within the country is no longer true, so federal and local policy will need to shift toward “place-based” policies, emphasizing training and education, along with developing industries tailored to local skills and resources.
Many of Fresno’s poorest neighborhoods rank highest for a wide range of health risks, a fact public health experts say is no accident
There are 1,686 public housing units reserved for seniors and disabled people in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and several times as many people are waiting for a vacancy.
For the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista, Calif., the goal is to walk away from the initiative with a five-year strategic plan that will help mitigate the cost of living, improve access to childcare, address food and housing insecurity, and create a workforce pipeline for the region.
Community land trusts separate ownership of structures and the land beneath it — residents purchase the home while the land trust owns the land and leases it back for a monthly fee
Managing a growing population and new development has never been easy for state and local leaders. But recent national trends may be making the task more difficult.
Despite catastrophically dangerous conditions in the Allen Benedict Court public housing complex, which led to the deaths of two residents earlier this year, Columbia Housing Authority will not face charges.
If there’s one thing city and public schools officials agree on, it’s that change that will help food insecure residents in Fort Smith will have to come from the top
Forty-six percent of Florida midterm voters said they were very concerned about climate change. Among Florida independents, 51% expressed great concern, slightly higher than independents nationally.
While fire-deterring sprinkler systems are now mandated by law in high-rise construction, older buildings like Cedar High Apartments are not required to improve their fire protection unless there is substantial remodeling or a change in the type of occupancy.
The U.S. saves $7 in avoided costs for every $1 spent through federally funded grants to acquire or demolish flood-prone buildings. But that doesn’t mean these programs are boons for every community member.
Structurally unsound buildings pose a threat to inhabitants and the surrounding community, but after an elderly Baltimore woman had her home demolished with just days notice, many are questioning the city’s approach.
Officials with the Huntsville, Alabama, public housing authority had little to say after an investigation found multiple units with an average level of radioactivity above the level that radon contractors say calls for specialized ventilation systems to remove it.
Advocates are hoping congressional legislation will align the HUD definition of homelessness with that of other federal agencies, so that more children, teens and young adults experiencing homelessness can access services.
Bloomberg left office with nearly two-thirds of voters saying he made the city better, according to a Quinnipiac University poll, and a long list of important mayoral moments.