Implementing Comprehensive Community Development: Possibilities and Limitations

There is growing recognition among practitioners and policymakers of the fact that the needs and circumstances of individuals and families living in impoverished communities are interconnected. Consequently, many current approaches to addressing poverty in such communities focus, in part, on attempting to promote “comprehensive” development. These efforts seek development strategies that address the social, physical, and economic needs and circumstances of community residents. This article outlines the rationale for this approach, explores historical and current approaches to its realization, and examines the experience of the Ford Foundation's Neighborhood and Family Initiative. Obstacles to the implementation of comprehensive development and the factors that can overcome these obstacles are discussed.