An examination of the regions studied provides glimpses into how communities will need to operate in order to be successful in the next century. In 1969, for example, the federal government announced that Chattanooga, Tennessee, had the foulest air in America. Fast-forward to 1996, when the United Nations recognized Chattanooga as one of the worlds' dozen most sustainable cities. The clean-up of air pollution was just one aspect of the Vision 2000 program. In Cleveland, Ohio, talented professionals working in intermediary roles in NGOs, foundations, community development corporations and city planning agencies have built networks of trusting relationships across the barriers of sector and race.
Community journalism seeks to report the news in ways that help engage the public in community life.
Ten Lessons for Community Builders From Peirce and Johnson's study, we can determine that it is unrealistic to expect elected officials to take the lead in reinventing democracy. The burden for taking the lead toward a new, citizen-based collaborative effort must rest largely with private citizens. We are in a transition to a new leadership culture where citizens insist on having a place at the table. Thus, the table gets larger and rounder, with enough space for everyone who wants to participate. The only thing more challenging than a crisis may be its absence.