Growing Sustainable Communities: Research and Professional Practice: A Development Guide for Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is undergoing a major transformation both economically and socially. This transformation has been largely through the initiatives of villages, communities and governments. Additionally, international aid and development funding is responsible for much of the innovation in sustainable community development in the region. However, such developments are a challenge for the region, with some organizations withdrawing from long-term projects because they have reached their conclusion. This is not to say that the role of these organizations is complete, far from it. There is much work to do yet.

The purpose of this book is to present a practical, yet academically sound, manual for community development practitioners, NGOs and community groups undertaking projects related to developing sustainable lifestyles in Southeast Asia. It looks at the existing knowledge of what activities have already been undertaken in Southeast Asia, reviewing case studies of successful projects with an aim to summarize these into a set of clear ‘key learnings’. In turn, these will be translated into a clearly organized set of guidelines for future projects in Southeast Asia.