The Foundations of a Community

Most people involved in social ventures that are aimed at systematic changes and sustainable change have to come to an understanding of all the cogs in the machine. In my research and experience, I've come to understand that, generally, there are four pillars that support the stability and health of communities:

Basic Needs: food, shelter, and safety.

Public Services: police, firefighters, clean streets, parks, and social enterprises, roads, bridges, highways, access to internet.

Education: quality schooling from early childhood to high school; availability of post-secondary education.

Businesses: entrepreneurs, availability of jobs, access to financial services, diverse selection of goods and services.

Visualize the four pillars as the legs of a table. A table is only able to support as much weight/stress and the legs can support. If one leg breaks, then that weight increases proportionally for the rest of the legs. Under greater stress, they become more susceptible to collapse. This also works in reverse. If there is one leg that is very sturdy, it can take a greater amount of weight and help support the other legs. Social Services will often fill gaps in Basic Needs. Superior Infrastructure will support the growth of Business.

This conceptualization helps me understand how to strengthen and support a community, but to understand how the pillars interact, it's better to visualize the pillars as a pyramid, similar to Maslow's hierarchy of social needs.

The lower levels are the most basic needs of a community, which in turn support the growth of the higher levels. Unlike Maslow's hierarchy, where the upper levels cannot be attained without the lower levels, all levels in the "Pyllarimid (I'm sorry, bad pun)" coexist and interact with each other.

Feedback is highly encouraged. Many individuals have researched this topic to a much greater extent than I have, so it is open to evolve as I gain more experience and insights.