To build a strong sense of community, towns must understand and build on relationships between people. This Heart & Soul Community Planning Implementation Guide outlines steps communities can take to increase their social capital and build community.
A town with a strong sense of community displays this spirit or pride through its bustling public spaces, active volunteer networks, meaningful public exhibits or memorials, and unmistakable friendly, neighborhood feel. This type of social capital crosses political and cultural boundaries, tying the community together through a shared sense of belonging.
Community pride not only increases the social quality of life, but can contribute to the economic success of the town as well, drawing more visitors, residents, and businesses. This guide explains ways in which communities can build social capital though planning effective social spaces, building strong personal relationships, improving safety, celebrating cultural and historical events, and fostering volunteer and social organizations. Through specific examples and case studies, communities can learn how to build a strong sense of community and improve their town’s quality of life.
This is one in a series of Heart & Soul Community Planning Implementation Guides, which outline the steps to implementing numerous community goals and provide a resource for towns to actively plan their futures. The Orton Family Foundation created these Guides to accompany the Heart & Soul Community Planning Handbook, helping communities to achieve an inclusive, enduring, long-term plan following the Foundation’s Heart & Soul principles of values-based, citizen-driven community planning.
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