Cultivating Community Wellbeing: Guiding Principles for Research and Practice

Studies of community wellbeing have identified numerous contributing social, economic, environmental, and cultural factors. Yet despite this diversity of dimensions, in practice many community wellbeing interventions focus on providing material resources, infrastructure, and amenities. In this perspective article, we offer an alternative approach to community wellbeing practice, drawing on several years of applied community development research and practice, formulated as principles of purpose, place, and relation. Together, these principles foster greater connectivity and resilience, support the creation of safe, dignified, and collective places and spaces, and encourage reciprocal and empathetic relations amongst people and across generations. Research and practice using these principles emphasizes being and interacting in community. Our approach is rooted in the perspective that community wellbeing could benefit not only from improved resources and infrastructure, but also from processes that promote humans willing to build and connect with community.