Community Capacity Building

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development works with land grant and other key partners across the region and nationally to pursue cutting-edge research, develop educational resources and provide training designed to help residents of the Northeast work together, within communities and regions, to identify, pursue, and achieve their goals.

Resources for Practitioners

• Resources for Addressing "Brain Drain" from Rural Communities

  Information on rural youth migration and retention, with thanks to Steve Deller, Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin, for highlighting the need for such information to be compiled in one place.

• Building Community Capacity - University of New Hampshire resources

  UNH Cooperative Extension's community development program helps communities achieve long-term well being by building human, economic, social and environmental capacity. To build community capacity, Extension Educators provide a variety of educational services to residents, organizations and local governments.

• Community Capitals Framework (CCF)

  Cornelia and Jan Flora (2008) developed the Community Capitals Framework as an approach to analyze how communities work.

• The Community Tool Box

  A service of the Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas

• Professional Development Opportunities in Community Development

  An inventory of degree programs, extension programs, and other Northeast community development organizations that offer professional development opportunities.

• Penn State Center for Economic and Community Development

  The Center for Economic and Community Development helps create new opportunities for people living throughout Pennsylvania.

Resources for Researchers

• Social Capital Tools
  Here you will find data on the estimated stock of social capital in each US county for the years 1990, 1997, 2005, and 2009. Please note that the data are presented "as is" without any implied guarantees for accuracy, and that there are slight differences between 1990/1997 and 2005 as a result of the switch from the SIC to the NAICS codes.

• Economic Resilience Tools Here you will find data on the economic resilience of US counties during the Great Recession.

• The Carsey Institue

  The Carsey Institute conducts policy research on vulnerable children, youth, and families and on sustainable community development.

• Community Development Publications

  A collection of articles and research papers authored or co-authored by Northeast Center staff and/or partners

Webinars, Presentations, and Conference Proceedings

• The Northeast Center staff and partners regularly deliver presentations on community development topics. See a collection of these presentation files here.

Graduate Programs

• Penn State's Community and Economic Development Graduate Program

  The Community and Economic Development (CEDEV) Graduate Program provides individuals with the knowledge and skills to work with citizens and leaders to establish and maintain viable communities and community organizations.