Beginning with the foundations of community development, An Introduction to Community Development offers a comprehensive and practical approach to planning for communities. Road-tested in the authors’ own teaching, and through the training they provide for practicing planners, it enables students to begin making connections between academic study and practical know-how from both private and public sector contexts. An Introduction to Community Development shows how planners can utilize local economic interests and integrate finance and marketing considerations into their strategy. Most importantly, the book is strongly focused on outcomes, encouraging students to ask: what is best practice when it comes to planning for communities, and how do we accurately measure the results of planning practice? This newly revised and updated edition includes: increased coverage of sustainability issues, discussion of localism and its relation to community development, quality of life, community well-being and public health considerations, and content on local food systems. Each chapter provides a range of reading materials for the student, supplemented with text boxes, a chapter outline, keywords, and reference lists, and new skills based exercises at the end of each chapter to help students turn their learning into action, making this the most user-friendly text for community development now available.

On paper, New York business and civic leader Winston Fisher and former Kansas City mayor Sly James seem to have nothing in common. They come from different generations, backgrounds, geographies, and professions. Despite their apparent differences, they share one central belief: the Democratic Party is overdue for major disruption. In The Opportunity Agenda, Fisher and James propose a new path forward that focuses on what really matters: appealing to the people. The 2016 presidential election revealed the extent of the deep economic anxieties felt by working- and middle-class Americans across the country--an insecurity that reshaped American history with the election of Donald Trump. Democrats failed to make a compelling case to promote their vision for the future. Equipped with a refreshing arsenal of bold ideas to expand the middle class, Fisher and James offer a plan to grow the party's base, win over moderates and independents, and explain in no uncertain terms what Democrats will do for you, the American voter. In this era of increasing political turmoil, old habits, stale messaging, and a "get even" mentality, any momentum the Democratic Party once had has stalled. It will take innovative solutions to shake up the Democratic establishment and energize voters across the political spectrum. That's where The Opportunity Agenda comes in. Insightful, accessible, and compelling, it outlines tangible strategies the Democratic Party needs for long-term success. This is a must-read for anyone invested in the future of our country and the forgotten middle class.

The picture on the front cover of this book is of the former site of M. Jeff Thompson's (1826-1876) home on Fifth Street in St. Joseph, Missouri. Originally from Virginia, he moved first to Liberty, Missouri and then to St. Joseph in 1848. In St. Joseph, he began as a store clerk before becoming a surveyor and the city engineer. Thompson served as St. Joseph's mayor from 1857 to 1860 and presided over the ceremony initiating the first ride of the Pony Express on April 3, 1860. The following year, in May, he received national notoriety for cutting down the union flag over the St. Joseph post office and tossing it down to a crowd of southern sympathizers who tore it to pieces. In his capacity as a brigadier general of the First Division, Missouri State Guard, during the Civil War, his patrol covered the swampy area in the southeastern part of Missouri. His battalion was referred to as the "Swamp Rats" and Thompson became known as the "Swamp Fox of the Confederacy." Picture taken by Denise Bartles-Tapia. The Origin: In the Spring semester of 2010 I taught a college course that dealt with local cultural history. The class met at various historical locations throughout the City of St. Joseph, Missouri. Frequently, community members that were acquainted with the sites we visited would graciously discuss the historical and cultural significance of their particular place. As the class visited various places our numbers grew. Community people, including some who had discussed their site with the class, joined in our walks about town. As interest developed, I came up with the idea of publishing a book based on student stories about the history and culture of St. Joseph. Not only were students interested in this project but so too were the community members that had joined in our walks about town. In addition, as the word spread about this project, some historians familiar with the history of St. Joseph also wrote stories for inclusion in this book. The Editor: John Tapia received his Associate of Arts generalist degree from Pierce Junior College, California, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication in 1972 from California State University, Northridge, a Master of Arts degree in Speech Communication in 1973 from the University of Massachusetts and a Doctorate of Philosophy degree, Speech Communication emphasis, in 1978 from the University of Arizona with minors in American History and Medical Statistics. He has published seven books including, most recently, Rhetoric and Centers of Power in the Greco-Roman World (University Press of America 2009) and Circuit Chautauqua: From Rural Education to Popular Entertainment (McFarland 1997, 2008). The latter book became the basis of the television documentary "Circuit Chautauqua: A Bridge Between Two Centuries." In addition, he has published twenty papers in scholarly journals and presented over seventy papers at scholarly conferences. He has also served at an editor for the Southern Speech Journal and the Quarterly Journal of Speech. Currently, he is working with the former Chief Diplomatic Interpreter of the White House and State Department on a book discussing various aspects of diplomatic communication. He has also been requested to write a sequel to Rhetoric and Centers of Power.