Civity’s systems-based research connects strong relational infrastructure – “civic muscle” – with thriving and resilient communities.
Civity and Housing
Civity’s personal-stories method for building cross-cutting “we’re all members of this community” relationships offers a path away from “us-vs.-them” dynamics that can bring housing efforts to a standstill.
➤ Civity Stories: Going to the “Heart” of NIMBY Resistance to Affordable Housing
Civity and Public Health
Increasing the quantity and quality of connection between community members builds capacity for a community to pull together as a whole. This peer-reviewed article in the American Journal of Public Health highlights how these civity relationships build the “belonging + civic muscle” core of the “vital conditions for health and well-being.”
➤ A “Civity” Approach Helps Build the Civic Muscle That Underlies Healthy Communities
(If you cannot access the article via the link above, email Palma Joy Strand)
Relationships, Networks, and System Change
Relationships are at the root of system change such as creating a transformed civity culture. John Esterle, formerly with The Whitman Institute, has been an important thought partner as Civity has taken root and grown. His steadfast championing of relationships has been a constant since Civity’s inception. Malka and Palma collaborated with John in writing two articles. Both highlight the essential role of relationships – in social networks and also in system change.
➤ From the Kids’ Table to the Adults’ Table: Taking Relationships Seriously in a World of Networks (pdf)
➤ It’s All About Relationships: Systems-Based Changemaking
Civity and Community Resilience
We know that cross-cutting social networks that bridge across social divides generate trust and norms of generalized reciprocity that contribute to the resilience of communities. This awareness suggests that communities can cultivate resilience by intentionally nurturing civity — a culture of people engaging across social differences with respect and empathy. Two types of practical approaches offer promise in nurturing these networks: (1) creating bridging relationships; and (2) facilitating interactions among community members that build trust and collaboration.
➤ Cultivating “Civity”: Enhancing City Resilience with Bridging Relationships and Increased Trust
➤ Counteracting Othering: Increasing Belonging & Curiosity to Improve Student Success (pdf)
As actors within complex adaptive social systems, being intentional about how we engage with each other relationally is a necessity — not a luxury.
from “It’s All About Relationships”