Task vs Process in Community Development

Two basic dimensions of community development exists in the literature: task and process. While they are not incompatible, they differ considerably in emphasis. Task conceptions focus more on a tangible goal (e.g., a new hospital, a school, or a water treatment plant), while process conceptions emphasize the more abstract goals of strengthening community ties and local autonomy. Again, borrowing from Christenson, Fendley and Robinson, we can define the task orientation to community development as:

“ (1) A group of people

(2)   in a community

(3)   reaching a decision

(4)   to initiate a social action process (i.e., planned intervention)

(5)   to change

(6)   their economic, social, cultural, or environmental situation.”

More succinctly, Roland Warren refers to the process aspect of community development “as a deliberate and sustained attempt to strengthen the horizontal pattern of a community.”

Lyon Larry and Driskell Robyn (2012) The Community in Urban Society, 2^nd edition. Illinois: Waveland Press.