De Pena, SOC 679-Essay on Community

Essay: Community and Community Development

Ruben E. De Pena
Fort Hays State University

SOC 679 Community Theory and Development

Mike Walker
February 7, 2013

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Introduction
As we become more and more heterogenic society in America, a clear understanding of the
community concept is prevalent from a sociology perspective. The purpose of this paper is to
define and discuss the terms community and community development as a requirement for
the SOC 679 class. At the same time, it aims to analyzing and responding to a case scenario
presented online the same class.
Definition and description of the term Community
The concept of community was prevalent since the coining of Tnniess definition of
gemeinschaft as human interactions particularly in rural settings (Lyon, 2012, p. 6). Now, how
can the concept be defined and its implication in my professional life? According to Lyon, (2012)
Community is a word with manysome say too manymeanings (p.3). This is indeed very
complex to define as it involves a multitude of definitions ranging from a geographical location to
a set of bonds that unite people through a pattern of social interactions. While very good
definitions have been provided derived from contributions on the subject by many sociologists,
particularly Robert Park and George Hillery, I could not agree more with the notion of the
complexity of trying to come up with a universal definition.
To illustrate the importance of understanding this concept, I will refer to my area of work in
the public school system. One core task of what I do is to reach out and empower the Latino
Community in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The idea is that a lot of studies indicate that the
more involved and empowered families are in their childrens education, the more successful
these will be. Now, because the only common denominator this community has is the language
(Spanish), I have to be constantly mindful that my strategy for success is when I see these
families as a group of communities who share different cultures, values, and beliefs rather than
a group of individuals clumped together.

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While nearly 75% of Latino families (either born in the U.S. or abroad) represented in my
school are of Mexican heritage, the other 25% is comprised of families whose ancestry come
from eighteen other Spanish-speaking countries. However, over the years, the notion for many
people in Nashville (and arguably across America) has been to associate the name Latino with
a series of stereotypes that for the most part are a myth: Most are undocumented, short, brown
skinned, love spicy food, refuse to assimilate into the American culture, and dont care about
their childrens education.
So, it is extremely relevant for me to not only continue learning about the various cultures
within the Latino communities, but also pass on the knowledge to teachers and school
administrators so that they can have a better opportunity to help children from these various
countries succeed.
Definition and description of Community Development
While I have a clear understanding of what the concept is, particularly because I am actually
part of a community that aims to improve the quality of life of a particular area in south
Nashville, TN, I would like to use as an anchor the definition that Lyon (2012) uses. According to
him, community development typically includes voluntary cooperation and self-help efforts by
neighborhood residents and professionals to improve the physical, social, and economic
conditions of the community (p.109).
The concept of community development has been particularly relevant to me since the fall of
2012. Since then, I have been part of the education committee of a very interesting project from
the Davison County Planning Commission called NashvilleNext. This project is a process to
create a plan for the future of the city over the next 25 years. Whats NEXT for Nashville will be
decided by people who care about Nashville and its future people like YOU! (Retrieved from
http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/Planning/images/NashvilleNext/Downloadables/
NNext_8.5x11_Neighborhood_desktop.pdf).

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While this is a very ambitious project, hundreds of key civic and business leaders and
professionals from various communities (including representatives from immigrants and refugee
communities) have been joining government officials to provide their ideas for physical and
socioeconomic improvement of their respective communities in Nashville over the next 20 plus
years. Once the plan is written and eventually implemented (that will include new schools,
hospitals, transportation systems, among others) one key area in town that is expected to be
positively impacted by this plan is South Nashville, specifically Antioch, a small urban
community that has been declining over the years as a result of families moving out into more
affluent, suburban communities.

Response to case scenario provided online

I am not sure this fits my definition of community development. This is my rationale: 1)
The community development concept is usually associated with transformation of low income of
urban communities, not rural (Lyon, 2012, p.109).
2) Based on the case description, it looks like the process of establishing the Shetland Pony
farm and eventual dude-farm did not involve the participation of many residents in the
community. 3) The idea of community development involves long-term socioeconomic impact.
So in the case of this farm, it seems to me the economic impact for the entire community would
be uncertain. What is the community going to do in the winter time while the farm is closed to
visitors?

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Conclusion
While there is not a clear definition of the concepts of community and community
development, several elements are available to help us understand them and apply them to
specific real-life experiences.

De Pena, SOC 679-Essay on Community

References
L. Larry, & D. Roby (2012). The community in urban society (2nd ed.).
Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

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