Community Services Publications

Most Commonly Requested CS Publications

Civic Index: Measuring Your Community's Civic Health (1999) This revised edition of the Civic Index is a twelve-point community self-evaluation tool. The Civic Index assesses what we call civic infrastructure, those characteristics that communities possess to effectively solve problems. Whether the primary issues are economic development, low-income housing, transportation planning, or any combination of the challenges facing today's communities, the healthy functioning of the twelve components of the Civic Index is necessary for success.

Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook (2000) This handbook provides a step-by-step guide to creating a sustainable vision and action plan for communities. From the logistical planning of the initiating committee to the implementation of the community plan, communities will learn how to engage broad-based community participation, evaluate their civic infrastructure and effectively reach their desired future.

A Guide to a Community-Oriented Approach to Core Public Health Functions (2000) This guide by NCL staff and the St. Louis County Department of Health describes how health departments can develop the necessary mindset, skills and organizational structure to apply the core functions of public health (assessment, policy development and assurance) using a community-oriented approach. The guide also includes a section on how to market their community-oriented approach to the community and media.

A Model for Community-Based Workshops on Performance Measurement (1999) This unique guide provides a step-by-step model (including a script and overheads) for conducting local government performance measurement workshops with communities. Workshops focus on the basics of performance information, ways it can used create change, and the roles that citizens play in helping to improve the delivery of services.

Engaging Citizens: Citizen Involvement In and Use of Performance Measurement in the Community (1999) A comprehensive report based on dozens of interviews with local government staff and on engaging citizens in using performance information in communities. In addition, citizens were interviewed and gave their own perceptions on the benefits and practices of sharing and using performance data. The report includes insights on working with the media, reporting data, and including citizens in evaluating and improving service delivery

Governance and Diversity: Findings from Oakland (1995); Findings from Fresno (1995); and Findings from Los Angeles (1994) These reports summarize the findings and recommendations from focus groups analyzing governance and diversity in Oakland, Los Angeles and Fresno, California. They include a detailed report on topics ranging from "Access to Leadership" to "Issues of Racism." The recommendations are based on the focus group discussions and the National Civic League's experience in strategic planning, visioning and capacity building projects.

Civic Engagement in Washington DC: A Report & Recommendations (2001) By DC Agenda with assistance from the National Civic League, April 2001. The purpose of this report is to support efforts to revitalize the economy, neighborhoods and civic life of the nation's capital. A collaboration between the local nonprofit DC Agenda and the National Civic League, this report focuses on the "civic infrastructure" that supports the active involvement of citizens, which is essential to the success of current and future community building initiatives.

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Working Papers

Systems Reform and Local Government:
Improving Outcomes for Children, Families, and Neighborhoods

Devolution. The New Federalism. Reinventing Government. These buzzwords and others like them have come to dominate the discussion about how local government will deal with the pressing issues of this decade, from welfare reform to sustainable development. In clear language, this working paper details the components and importance of what can collectively be called "systems reform", or efforts from the grassroots to city hall to make government more effective, efficient, responsive, and participatory for ordinary citizens.

Synthesizing best practices taken from local governments around the country, interviews with dozens of seasoned professionals from multiple fields, and the most recent literature on the topic, Systems Reform and Local Government boils down the basics of field-tested methods to make local government work smarter, more efficiently, and in true partnership with communities. This paper is ideal for anyone who needs to understand the nuts and bolts of government reform at the local level.

Building Community:
Exploring the Role of Social Capital and Local Government

Popularized by the Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam, the concept of social capital has been the focal point of much recent debate about the role of human and organizational relationships in reweaving the social fabric of America's communities. Building upon the work of academics and practitioners alike, this working paper takes a clear-eyed look at how local government efforts strengthen individual, organizational, and neighborhood relationships and build the capacity to tackle tough issues of communities.

Drawing on case studies, scholarly articles, and our real world experiences in communities, this paper concisely explains the theoretical aspects of social capital and then examines how they can be practically applied by nonprofits, local government, and other grassroots organizations. An essential document for the library of any professional who works with communities.

Negotiated Approaches to Environmental Decision Making in Communities:
An Exploration of Lessons Learned

This resource for government and civic leaders helps communities negotiate policies for sustainable development. The current devolution of authority from the federal to the state and local level has had a significant impact on the development and implementation of environmental policy at all levels of government. This publication can help you:

• Understand the current trends in federal and state environmental policy;
• Explore the lessons learned from case studies of collaborative decision making for resolving environmental disputes and developing sustainable communities;
• Analyze the role of collaborative processes in resolving environmental disputes; and
• Map out a new "Negotiated Environmental Strategy" for your community

Policy makers and community leaders alike will find the guiding principles and lessons learned helpful in designing community-based approaches to environmental issues.

Building the Collaborative Community

Communities across the country are currently using a wide variety of techniques for collaborative problem solving to resolve social conflicts ranging from environmental issues to disputes between different racial and ethnic groups. This concise publication provides a broad overview of these efforts, helping government officials and citizen leaders alike, better understand the tools and techniques of collaborative problem solving, and how it might work in their communities. Highly recommended for those searching for the "big picture" of how community collaboration is being used from the local to federal level.

Community Problem Solving Case Summaries, Volume III

The third volume of our Community Problem Solving Case Summaries series features 13 communities from across the country. Cases cover issues such as reducing drugs and crime, visioning and strategic planning, and resolving land use and planning controversies in communities of varying size and demographics. Communities include: Macon, GA; Phoenix, AZ; Santa Barbara, CA; James City County, VA; and Minneapolis and Hennepin County, MN. Learn a wealth of lessons from communities that experienced similar challenges and worked them out together.

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How-Tos

Facing Racial and Cultural Conflicts:
Tools for Rebuilding Community

Communities throughout America are faced with conflicts that involve issues of race, ethnicity, culture, religion and sexual orientation. Left unaddressed, these conflicts can permanently fragment the political culture, making it difficult, if not impossible, to effectively address important community problems. This publication offers an assortment of tools that can be used to bring people together and help channel intergroup conflict in productive directions. The techniques presented range from proactive initiatives to incident-specific responses. Emphasis is given to collaborative problem solving, but the authors discuss such topics as the role of the community leader in a conflict situation, grassroots initiatives, and educational programs. Use of the tools is illustrated with briefcase studies throughout.

This edition includes a broader discussion of cultural differences in collaborative processes. The descriptions are designed to help community leaders craft a process for resolving differences that is comfortable and culturally acceptable for every participant. The resource section has also been expanded with information on more organizations and written materials. Whether you are dealing with tensions over race, ethnicity, national origin, class, sexual orientation, religion or physical capabilities, you are likely to find something of value in this book.

Involving Citizens in Community Decision Making:
A Guidebook

This is the only public participation manual that focuses specifically on the community level of public decision making. Author James L. Creighton has filled some two-hundred pages with advice born of many years of professional experience designing and implementing public participation programs.

Creighton takes the reader from the basics through practical issues such as designing, staffing, and evaluating public participation programs, preparing a public participation plan, and the details involved in using many specific implementation techniques. Extremely well organized and readable, this manual is a comprehensive "how-to" guide for every bookshelf.

Pulling Together:
A Land Use and Development Consensus Building Manual

Pulling Together is a guidebook for community leaders on how to avoid time-consuming, costly, and unproductive disputes over planning and development issues by effectively working through conflicts between developers, citizens, government, and other interest groups. Straightforward instructions, case studies, sample materials, and a clear framework make this hands-on book easy to follow and use.

Each section of the book helps the reader focus on a specific task:

• Develop a Game Plan. Analyze the situation and assess the feasibility of building consensus from the viewpoints of the different players.
• Get All Parties to Participate. Learn interactive techniques to get everyone communicating and involved. Determine the role of consultants and develop a collaborative process tailored to your situation.
• Build Consensus Step-by-Step. Move the participants through a clear process for building consensus using the list of tools provided for each stage.
• Improve Your Meetings. Learn the keys to successful meetings, they are the core of a productive process.
• Learn From Others. Follow the examples from five case studies of successful consensus-building processes and use the resource kit for helpful forms and gathering more information.

Pulling Together will help your community come together to find answers to difficult questions over land use and development.

Solving Community Problems by Consensus

Written by community collaboration expert, Susan Carpenter, this concise manual provides strategies and techniques for using consensual processes to resolve community problems. Easy-to-read, it describes and illustrates several ways of designing the process for consensus building. It will be especially useful to those seriously considering or using a collaborative process in their community.

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Healthy Communities Publications

The Healthy Communities Handbook
This publication presents the healthy communities philosophy, and serves as an overview of the NCL process/approach.
By National Civic League Staff, 1993
(162 pp., 8-1/2x11, monograph)

The Civic Index: Measuring Your Community's Civic Health
Second Edition
By National Civic League Staff, 1999
(127 pp., 8-1/2x11)

The Civic Index: A New Approach to Improving Community Life
A ten-component self-evaluation tool for communities to use in enhancing their capacity to plan for their futures and solve community problems.
By National Civic League Staff, 1993
(50 pp, 7x10, paper)

The Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook
An outline of the basic plan for communities to have a successful visioning and strategic planning process.
By National Civic League Staff, 1995
(53 pp.)