Community Building Quotes

“Researchers determined that a variety of forces affected the lack of change. First, the people in the community had been socialized not to disagree publicly, so it was hard to have a meaningful discussion. Second, in the past, any suggestions of change had been met with strong private criticism, so people were hesitant to bring creative ideas to the table. Finally, there was such a strong tradition of individualism in the community that members could not openly discuss problems, because they did not believe in collective effort as a way to solve problems. (Hibbard, 1986)”
― Paul Mattessich, Community Building: What Makes It Work: A Review of Factors Influencing Successful Community Building

“A flexible community group remains open to a variety of ways to deal with issues. The residents have the inclination to do whatever is best, not simply whatever has been done in the past. This attribute ensures that progress on community building will not be deterred by such things as allegiance to outdated or ineffective rules for performance, conformance to outmoded standards for technology, or other dysfunctional norms and practices.”
― Paul Mattessich, Community Building: What Makes It Work: A Review of Factors Influencing Successful Community Building

“Consequently, the people who remained in the West End interacted within a smaller physical space and shared more of the same social spaces. Such physical and social proximity was to make it easier for the neighborhood to share information and to develop a common sense of its own identity and interests.”
― Paul Mattessich, Community Building: What Makes It Work: A Review of Factors Influencing Successful Community Building