Welcome!
The Community Development Society (CDS) is a membership-based organization that aims to advance community development theory, research, policy, and practice.
learn more about CDSPrograms
CDS hosts an annual conference as well as webinars throughout the year, and offers scholarships and awards.
Publications
CDS is best known for publications such as the academic journals Community Development and Local Development and Society. We also sponsor two Routledge book series and distribute Vanguard, our monthly newsletter
Membership
CDS Members form a broad and diverse network of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who share an interest in building and developing communities—socially, economically, and environmentally. Our membership spans the globe, but is primarily concentrated in the United States and Canada. Learn more about membership benefits and consider joining us today!
Recent News
IACD conference WCDC2022
The 2022 Virtual World Community Development Conference will take place next week: October 3-5. It is being co-organized by the International Association for Community Development and the Inclusive Practices Network whose headquarters are in the country of Georgia. As communities across the world emerge from the global covid pandemic, the need for human connection, contact and empathy has never been […]
We Need Your Support for 2023 Conference
The 2023 Conference (Portland, Oregon) working groups are getting ready to convene! The preliminary theme is ‘Hood and Holler: Similarities and Differences in Urban and Rural Community Development. This meets the interests of our two conference co-hosts, Portland State University and Oregon State University. The Host working group will focus on local issues like identifying mobile workshops, choosing […]
September 2022 Chair’s Update
We welcome some great new board members for this coming year. Neil Linscheid comes to the Board from Minnesota Extension where he has focused on business and economic development, and Steve Jeanetta, who has served as treasurer in the past, has joined us as VC for operations from Minnesota Extension as well. James Calvin, a long-term […]
Straight Talk about CDS: An Update from the Treasurer
I’ve never been very good about beating around the bush, so I want to share some information that I hope will be of value and interest to the CDS members. Much like business and nonprofit organizations, the pandemic resulted in some financial hardships for the CDS over the past 2+ years. Our membership – which have […]
Awards Spotlight: Nicole Breazeale
The CDS Awards Committee was privileged to present Nicole Breazeale the Outstanding Community Development Educator Award. She is an Associate Extension Professor of Community and Leadership Development, University of Kentucky, and has been a CDS Member since 2015. Breazeale gratiously said of fellow CDS Members “This is really a special group of professionals. That’s one of the many reasons […]
Family of Dr. Lee J. Cary Establishes New CDS Scholarship Fund
The family of the Dr. Lee J. Cary has established the “Lee J. Cary Graduate Student Scholarship Award Fund” in memory of their father. The purpose of this new donor-named fund is to support graduate students currently enrolled in MA/MS or PhD programs at accredited higher education institutions who have a primary focus on community development, […]
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