Community building is a key part to enhancing a local government’s Citizen Engagement and Community Relations (see linked Knowledge Network topic pages). A great resource on community-building events comes from a press release issued earlier this year that features these top five events in Santa Barbara, California:

1. Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival includes music, a Kid’s Corner, the Green Car Show, and more.
2. California Wine Festival presents selections from more than 100 California wineries in three different locations throughout the county.
3. Old Spanish Days celebrates Santa Barbara’s rich history and Spanish culture with parades, tour of historic locations, markets, horse show, and more.
4. Goleta Lemon Festival provides music, games, and a lemon pie eating contest, along with an auto show and a 5K run.
5. Women’s Festivals, a one-day event, features a conference, an expo, and an awards show for professional businesswomen.

You can read more of Nu Image Ad Group’s coverage of Santa Barbara’s community-building events in the full press release.

This list of events is just one local government’s example. On the Knowledge Network, you can find many such examples, as well as tips for creating ideal events. Elsewhere in California, the city of Cupertino has created the Cupertino Block Leader Program, which is aimed at bringing neighborhoods and communities closer. Through this program, each Cupertino neighborhood has a leader whose responsibility it is to foster cultural sensitivity and to disseminate information about events, news, and emergencies. This is a premium document, available only to ICMA members.

Around the globe, in Marrichville Council, New South Wales, Australia, children have the opportunity to play the CommUnity board game, which teaches children about Marrickville’s geography and community opportunities.

The Alliance for Innovation published a white paper in 2010 entitled “Connected Communities: Local Governments as a Partner in Citizen Engagement and Community Building.” The paper analyzes the goals of and need for citizen participation and engagement, and the way that engagement relates to community building.

Phoenix, Arizona’s the Good Neighborhood Plan seeks to involve residents in neighborhood improvement efforts. The plan was nominated for an ICMA award—just one of many ICMA award nominees you can read about on the Knowledge Network.

Cincinnati, Ohio’s Neighborhood Enhancement Program aims to improve quality of life for residents of neighborhoods with high crime, vacated buildings, illegal dumping, and lack of community and business leadership through its three pronged approach of enhancement, enforcement, and sustainability.

Of course, no two local governments approach community building in the same way. From outdoor markets to block parties, cities and counties each have their own unique success stories. Staff members at the Knowledge Network would love to hear about your own successes.

What community building events or programs has your local government done successfully?