This book offers practical strategies and insights for planning and organizing neighborhood and community events that bring people together. From block parties to volunteer projects, this book provides a roadmap for creating memorable experiences that strengthen relationships and build community spirit. The importance of fostering community through events is emphasized throughout the book, highlighting the positive impact that connection and companionship have on individuals and neighborhoods. Readers will learn how to overcome challenges and create inclusive, welcoming spaces for all community members to participate and engage. Personal stories and examples illustrate the transformational power of community events in bringing people closer together. "Building Stronger Communitiesalso delves into the benefits of cultivating relationships with local businesses, organizations, and institutions to support event planning and execution. Readers will gain insights into effective communication strategies, volunteer recruitment, and fundraising for community events. The book emphasizes the importance of collaboration and cooperation in building a strong network of community support. Furthermore, this book explores the role of technology and social media in promoting and organizing community events, offering valuable tips and tools for leveraging digital platforms for outreach and engagement. Readers will also find practical advice on event evaluation and feedback to continually improve and enhance the community-building efforts. Overall, "Building Stronger Communitiesserves as a comprehensive guide for community leaders, organizers, and residents looking to create vibrant and connected neighborhoods through meaningful and impactful events. By bringing people together and celebrating the diversity and unity of their community, individuals can make a positive difference and transform their neighborhoods into thriving hubs of connection and collaboration.

Although citizen engagement is a core public service value, few public administrators receive training on how to share leadership with people outside the government. Participatory Budgeting in the United States serves as a primer for those looking to understand a classic example of participatory governance, engaging local citizens in examining budgetary constraints and priorities before making recommendations to local government. Utilizing case studies and an original set of interviews with community members, elected officials, and city employees, this book provides a rare window onto the participatory budgeting process through the words and experiences of the very individuals involved. The central themes that emerge from these fascinating and detailed cases focus on three core areas: creating the participatory budgeting infrastructure; increasing citizen participation in participatory budgeting; and assessing and increasing the impact of participatory budgeting. This book provides students, local government elected officials, practitioners, and citizens with a comprehensive understanding of participatory budgeting and straightforward guidelines to enhance the process of civic engagement and democratic values in local communities.

Sustainable Living for Your Home, Neighborhood and Community is about your home?inside and outside?and how you can use less energy, spend less money, and enjoy it more. It's about your neighborhood and how you and your neighbors can benefit from working and sharing together. And it's about your community and how all of its neighborhoods and residents can benefit from cooperative effort.This book isn't about buying greener things; it's about buying fewer things. It's about spending less money, and getting more out of life. And helping the planet at the same time.Most of all, Sustainable Living is a guide to saving money, improving your life, and giving you the tools you need to be adaptable to deal with an future.

Many Americans are hungry, while others struggle to find healthy foods. What are communities doing to address this problem, and what should they be doing? Good Food, Strong Communities shares ideas and stories about efforts to improve food security in large urban areas of the United States by strengthening community food systems. It draws on five years of collaboration between a research team comprised of the University of Wisconsin, Growing Power, and the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, and more than thirty organizations on the front lines of this work in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Madison, and Cedar Rapids. Here, activists and scholars talk about what’s working and what still needs to be done to ensure that everyone has access to readily available, affordable, appropriate, and acceptable food. The approach begins by laying out the basic principles of food security and food justice in light of the diversity of food system practices and innovations in America’s cities. The contributing authors address land access for urban agriculture, debates over city farming, new possibilities in food processing, and the marketing of healthy food. They put these basic elements—land, production, processing, and marketing—in the context of municipal policy, education, and food justice and sovereignty, particularly for people of color. While the path of a food product from its producer to its consumer may seem straightforward on the surface, the apparent simplicity hides the complex logistical—and value-laden—factors that create and maintain a food system. This book helps readers understand how a food system functions and how individual and community initiatives can lessen the problems associated with an industrialized food system.