IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i7p5795-d1108276.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Telling Our Story—A Community-Based Meso-Level Approach to Sustainable Community Development

Author

Listed:
  • Sabine O’Hara

    (College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC 20008, USA)

  • Golnar Ahmadi

    (College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC 20008, USA)

  • Midas Hampton

    (Strategic Spartanburg, Spartanburg, SC 29302, USA)

  • Konyka Dunson

    (College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC 20008, USA)

Abstract

Engaging diverse stakeholders in dialogue around sustainable development has proven to be a successful strategy to advance sustainable development goals. Without local engagement, sustainable development efforts can fail to accomplish their objectives. Yet, determining the best strategy for engaging diverse stakeholders can be challenging. Similarly challenging can be the transfer of information regarding successful development strategies from one community to another. Local specificity is key to finding sustainable development solutions. Yet, knowledge creation one-community-at-a-time is time consuming and limits the transferability of knowledge. Meso-level approaches are therefore essential to finding transferable solutions. The Five-Pillars approach to development is such a meso-level mixed methods approach. It identifies a manageable set of indicators in five common categories: education, health, environmental quality, social and cultural amenities, and information and transportation access. These indicator categories form the basis for selecting specific locations within a community where local stakeholders engage in writing a collective story about their sustainable development future. This article describes the implementation of the Five Pillars approach in two neighborhoods in Washington D.C. It concludes that the approach offers an effective engagement strategy that gives voice to the sustainable development vision of local stakeholders while providing a framework that can benefit diverse communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Sabine O’Hara & Golnar Ahmadi & Midas Hampton & Konyka Dunson, 2023. "Telling Our Story—A Community-Based Meso-Level Approach to Sustainable Community Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:7:p:5795-:d:1108276
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/7/5795/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/7/5795/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jakomijn van Wijk & Charlene Zietsma & Silvia Dorado & Frank de Bakker & Ignasi Marti, 2018. "Social Innovation: Integrating Micro, Meso, and Macro Level Insights From Institutional Theory," Post-Print hal-02570915, HAL.
    2. O'Hara, Sabine & Toussaint, Etienne C., 2021. "Food access in crisis: Food security and COVID-19," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    3. Yongjun Shin, 2014. "Reconstructing Urban Politics with a Bourdieusian Framework: The Case of Local Low-Income Housing Policy," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1833-1848, September.
    4. Jens S. Dangschat, 2009. "Space Matters — Marginalization and Its Places," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(3), pages 835-840, September.
    5. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Agricultural Economic Reports 305691, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    6. David Swain & Danielle Hollar, 2003. "Measuring Progress: Community Indicators and the Quality of Life," International Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(7), pages 789-814.
    7. M. Reza Shirazi & Ramin Keivani & Sue Brownill & Georgia Butina Watson, 2022. "Promoting Social Sustainability of Urban Neighbourhoods: The Case of Bethnal Green, London," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 441-465, May.
    8. Andy S. Blanke & Norman Walzer, 2013. "Measuring community development: what have we learned?," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(5), pages 534-550, December.
    9. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Agricultural Economic Reports 305693, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Elizabeth Gearin & Carletta S. Hurt, 2024. "Making Space: A New Way for Community Engagement in the Urban Planning Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-18, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dorceta E. Taylor & Ashley Bell & Destiny Treloar & Ashia Ajani & Marco Alvarez & Tevin Hamilton & Jayson Velazquez & Pwintphyu Nandar & Lily Fillwalk & Kerry J. Ard, 2024. "Defying the Food Desert, Food Swamp, and Supermarket Redlining Stereotypes in Detroit: Comparing the Distribution of Food Outlets in 2013 and 2023," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-59, August.
    2. Brandon J. Restrepo & Matthew P. Rabbitt & Christian A. Gregory, 2021. "The Effect of Unemployment on Food Spending and Adequacy: Evidence from Coronavirus‐Induced Firm Closures," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 185-204, March.
    3. Kristin F. Butcher & Lucie Schmidt & Lara Shore‐Sheppard & Tara Watson, 2023. "Living with children and food insecurity in seniors," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 234-261, March.
    4. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2021. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2020," Economic Research Report 327186, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    5. Christine Borger & Courtney Paolicelli & Lorrene Ritchie & Shannon E. Whaley & Jill DeMatteis & Brenda Sun & Thea Palmer Zimmerman & Amanda Reat & Sujata Dixit-Joshi, 2021. "Shifts in Sources of Food but Stable Nutritional Outcomes among Children in the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, November.
    6. Colleen Heflin & Xiaohan Sun, 2022. "Food Insecurity and the Opioid Crisis," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 703(1), pages 262-284, September.
    7. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Economic Research Report 327207, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    8. Cäzilia Loibl & Wändi Bruine de Bruin & Barbara Summers & Simon McNair & Pieter Verhallen, 2022. "Which financial stressors are linked to food insecurity among older adults in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands? An exploratory study," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(2), pages 533-556, April.
    9. Melissa Keresztes & Colleen L. Delaney & Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, 2022. "Maternal Mental Health Status Is Associated with Weight-Related Parenting Cognitions, Home Food Environment Characteristics, and Children’s Behaviors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-17, October.
    10. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2021. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2020," Administrative Publications 327344, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    11. Ivory H. Loh & Vanessa M. Oddo & Jennifer Otten, 2020. "Food Insecurity Is Associated with Depression among a Vulnerable Workforce: Early Care and Education Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-13, December.
    12. Lauren A. Clay & Stephanie Rogus, 2021. "Impact of Employment, Essential Work, and Risk Factors on Food Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York State," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.
    13. Alycia Santilli & Anna Lin-Schweitzer & Sofia I. Morales & Steve Werlin & Kim Hart & James Cramer & Jason A. Martinez & Kathleen O’Connor Duffany, 2022. "Coalition Building and Food Insecurity: How an Equity and Justice Framework Guided a Viable Food Assistance Network," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-14, September.
    14. Jin E. Kim-Mozeleski & Susan J. Shaw & Irene H. Yen & Janice Y. Tsoh, 2022. "A Qualitative Investigation of the Experiences of Tobacco Use among U.S. Adults with Food Insecurity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-13, June.
    15. Nadine Budd Nugent & Carmen Byker Shanks & Hilary K. Seligman & Hollyanne Fricke & Courtney A. Parks & Sarah Stotz & Amy L. Yaroch, 2021. "Accelerating Evaluation of Financial Incentives for Fruits and Vegetables: A Case for Shared Measures," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-16, November.
    16. Ryan, Rebecca M. & Gassman-Pines, Anna & Steimle, Samantha & Baker, Garrett & Hines, Caitlin T. & Johnson, Anna D., 2023. "The role of public and private food assistance in supporting families’ food security and meal routines," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    17. Joel Berg & Angelica Gibson, 2022. "Why the World Should Not Follow the Failed United States Model of Fighting Domestic Hunger," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-14, January.
    18. Katherine R. Arlinghaus & Melissa N. Laska, 2021. "Parent Feeding Practices in the Context of Food Insecurity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-12, January.
    19. Xu, Lei, 2024. "Household Food Waste Patterns: Exploring Categorical Price and Expenditure Elasticities Using a Demand System Approach," 2024 Annual Meeting, July 28-30, New Orleans, LA 343717, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    20. Gundersen, Craig, 2021. "Viewpoint: A proposal to reconstruct the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) into a universal basic income program for food," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:7:p:5795-:d:1108276. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.