Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future (Essential Texts for Nonprofit and Public Leadership and Management)

The new edition of the acclaimed guide to strategic decision-making in community planning, development, and collaborationBased on the results of more than a decade of research by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, Smart Communities provides directions for strategic decision-making and outlines the key strategies used by thousands of leaders who have worked to create successful communities. Outlining seven "leverage points" for decision-making used by thousands of leaders who have worked to create successful communities, this new Second Edition offers leaders from both the public and private sectors the tools they need to build a civic infrastructure and create a better future for all the community's citizens.Second Edition has been thoroughly updated with current knowledge and researchCovers new developments from current design thinking and strategy literature to innovation and invention in communitiesAdvises on how to create community readiness that will help avert problems before they beginAll case vignettes have been revised to include more detailed information about the process and application of the seven leverage pointsExamples from communities around the country illustrate how these change agents' well-structured decision-making processes can be traced to their effective use of the seven key leverage pointsSmart Communities offers hope to those who are striving to improve their communities and addresses vital issues such as poverty, race relations, and children's health and welfare. Read more