financial sustainability .” pay particular attention H u m a n i t i e s

In any successful business venture, proper financing is crucial for success. The same is true for sustainable community development. The first step in financing sustainable community development is to identify available and viable financial resources in the community. Communities can get financing from a variety of resources including government mutual funds, micro-grants, fundraising, tax revenues, and partnerships with organizations. While communities may be able to get funding from a variety of resources, it is important to be selective in choosing resources. Communities must choose financial resources that make sense and match their needs. For instance, fundraising might be the easiest way to fund the development of a new park or nature trail because people are likely to donate money to something they can use. On the other hand, fundraising would not be appropriate if the community wanted to create a new public transit system. It is unlikely that fundraising would provide enough money to effectively fund such a project. Instead, the community could use tax revenues.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review the article “The Community Tool Box: Developing a Plan for Financial Sustainability.” Pay particular attention to funding possibilities to finance sustainable community development.

Peruse the “Finance and Sustainability—Financial Strategies” website. Explore strategies and resources to finance sustainable systems.

Review the article “Using Value Capture to Finance Infrastructure and Encourage Compact Development.” Focus on the use of taxation or “value capture” to help finance sustainable community development.

Review the book excerpt “Fiscal Feasibility: From Paper to Action.” Think about the financial resources used in the case studies.

Read the online article “The Community Tool Box: Establishing Micro-Grant Programs.” Consider the use of micro-grant programs to finance sustainable community development.

Reflect on the areas of need and problems in your community.

With this in mind, identify three financial resources you would recommend to finance sustainable community development in the community.

a brief description of at least three financial resources you would recommend to finance sustainable community development in your community.

Explain why you would recommend each. Be specific.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.