Community development cannot be driven by values such as ‘fairness’ or ‘equality’. However much we might want it to be.
If it were, then when we a community reached ‘the average’ all development would have to stop. Otherwise continued progress would only serve to introduce new inequalities. Thankfully this is not how society works.
Sustained development is driven by people in the community who just care about making things better. About progress. And usually not progress for something nebulous called ‘the community’ (unless they are professional community developers), and certainly not progress for Government agendas such as ‘the economy’, ‘Big Society’, or ‘making democracy work’ but for themselves and their loved ones.
Community and development emerge as these caring people learn to associate, cooperate and organise in pursuit of what matters to them.
Discuss.