2019's Top 10 Reads in Cities Deepening Communities

Posted on December 17, 2019
By Glenda Cooper

Top 10 reads 2019What a year 2019 has been! With all the news around the growing epidemic of loneliness, communities have been leaning into each other, seeking to foster social connection among residents and neighbours. This momentum has catalyzed a Deepening Community movement. Fifteen cities across Canada are leading this movement as founding members of our newly launched Cities Deepening Community membership. We have gleaned numerous insights from our members and our learning community over the course of the year.  There was so much great work that was done this year that we wanted to give you our top 10;

  1. Asset-Based Community Development At A Glance - This short guide provides all the ingredients you need to start to work with your community to design your own ABCD initiative.  
  2. Survey Says: Canadians are Lonely and Socially Isolated - Read about the Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with Cardus, 2019  Canada-wide study on social isolation and loneliness and the results are concerning.
  3. Loneliness and Social Isolation are Public Health Issues - Read about the Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David D William,  2019 annual report called Connected Community Healthier Together.  You can hear more from Dr William in this webinar: Ending Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Public Health Perspective.
  4. 3 Lessons from Awakening the Power of Families & Neighbourhood - We held our first book club on Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods by John McKnight and Peter Block. After studying this book in our first ever book club, member, Keith Dow, shares his insights and top three themes to consider as we move into practice of ABCD.
  5. Re-imaging Rural Communities Using ABCD - Read about how rural communities are using ABCD to  re-imagine themselves in the face of changing demographics, resource industries disappearing, radical changes in technology and centralized government services.
  6. Evaluating Hamilton’s Neighbourhood Action Strategy -The City of Hamilton celebrated their Neighbourhood Action Strategy’s first seven years by doing an in-depth evaluation of the outcomes and impacts of the strategy.
  7. Strong and Connected Neighbourhood, Waterloo's Neighbourhood Strategy - The City of Waterloo outlines the process they took to determine what role the city should play and what broad range of supports were needed to facilitate resident-led neighbourhood community building.
  8. Collective Impact through the Lens of ABCD and RBA - Watch this webinar to learn how to level-up your community development efforts with Dan as he explores Collective Impact through the lens of Asset Based Community Development and Results based Accountability. Interested in reading more about how these three approaches work well together to build community.
  9. Annotated Bibliography: Emergency Preparedness - In a time when extreme weather emergencies are becoming more common. This bibliography offers inspiration and tools to help you mobilize your communities and ensure everyone is ready for a emergency.
  10. Building A Case For Developing A Neighbourhood Strategy & Community Engagement For Developing a Neighbourhood Strategy - Every city builds neighbourhoods with sidewalks, roads, houses, parks and arenas. Municipalities across Canada are realizing that it’s not just about pavement and buildings, it’s about the people who live, work and play in each neighbourhood. These guides are for municipal staff or community groups interested in developing a neighbourhood strategy.
Bonus!  - Want to build a neighbourhood strategy in your city? Learn how we can support you in our Cities Deepening Community Brochure.

We are looking forward to an action packed 2020 and hope you will join us for our ABCD Gathering in London, Ontario June 9-11, click here to Save the Date!

Topics:
Community Change, Community Development, Cities Deepening Community, glenda cooper


Glenda Cooper

By Glenda Cooper

Glenda has her Master of Arts in Community Development from the University of Victoria and brings 17 years of community development experience to the position. She has seen firsthand the magic of neighbourhoods and the power of communities. She believes wholeheartedly that communities know best what they need and how to go about making life even better for everyone. She values courageous conversations, knowing that when communities dig deep and lean into each other, new possibilities emerge.

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