Community Development Glossary

A large, rooted organization such as a hospital or university that leverages its resources for local community benefit.

An approach that identifies and mobilizes existing community strengths rather than focusing on deficits.

A previously developed property that may be contaminated and requires cleanup before reuse for community purposes.

Strengthening a community's skills, organizations, and resources to address its own challenges sustainably.

Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern through democratic participation.

A structured framework for cross-sector collaboration around a common agenda with shared measurement and backbone support.

A legally binding contract between developers and community groups ensuring specific local benefits from development projects.

A nonprofit organization focused on revitalizing a specific neighborhood through housing, economic development, and community services.

A certified financial institution providing credit and capital to underserved communities.

A nonprofit that holds land in trust and applies resale restrictions to maintain permanent housing affordability.

The process of building collective power among community members to act on shared interests and influence institutions.

A 1977 U.S. law requiring banks to meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, including low-income areas.

The process by which people gain control over the decisions and resources that affect their lives.

Development that ensures fair distribution of benefits and burdens across all community segments, especially marginalized groups.

An area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, often in low-income neighborhoods lacking grocery stores.

The process of neighborhood change driven by new investment and higher-income residents that can displace existing lower-income populations.

Sherry Arnstein's 1969 typology describing eight rungs from non-participation to full citizen control in decision-making.

A systematic process of identifying gaps between current conditions and desired outcomes in a community.

A democratic process in which community members directly decide how to allocate a portion of a public budget.

A strategy directing coordinated resources to a specific geographic area to address interconnected challenges.

A community's ability to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse events and ongoing stresses.

The networks, norms, and trust among community members that enable collective action and mutual benefit.

Any individual, group, or organization that has an interest in or is affected by a community development initiative.

Meeting current community needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

A comprehensive, holistic approach that coordinates multiple services (housing, health, education, employment) around an individual or family's needs.