ABSTRACT
The intentional practice of development is only as old as the post-World War II international aid-and-development industry. Modernization theory arguably created the conditions for development practice: the intentional creation of positive change. Early development practice took the form of international aid from one national government to another, a form of practice that is still common today. In place-based development approaches, policy attention focuses on these distinctive attributes and dynamics of local places. Community development practitioners have a long history of on-the-ground work with local communities. National-scale development planning creates the illusion of simplicity: the typical, the average, the shared community that is both everywhere and nowhere. Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a well-known community development approach that focuses on identifying and leveraging community assets for community benefit. Local economic development (LED) is the practice of growing economic opportunities in particular local places.
