An Introduction to Community Development offers a comprehensive, practical approach to planning for communities. Road-tested in the authors' own teaching, and through the training they provide for practicing planners, it enables students to make connections between academic study and practical know-how from both private and public sector contexts.

The book shows how planners can use local economic interests and integrate finance and marketing considerations into their strategy. Most importantly, the book is strongly focused on outcomes, having students ask: what is best practice when it comes to planning for communities, and how do we accurately measure the results of planning practice?