Community Capitals Framework; Measuring Success Now And In The Future
By Kylee Harrison
From tiny towns to large cities, municipalities are looking for ways to push themselves towards future growth. Many community leaders have said that if a town isn’t growing, it’s dying. With that mindset, it’s no secret they are seeking growth. However, many times, in order to achieve well balanced and sustaining growth, a community must first know where they stand and what resources they have. The Community Capitals Framework (CCF) introduces the concept of measuring current successes and resources in communities based on seven dimensions called community capitals. According to Cheryl Jacobs, Community Leadership Development Extension Associate with South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service, capital is defined as a resource that is capable of producing additional resources, therefore CCF provides a comprehensive way to categorize a community’s assets and explore the relationships among them. Over the course of the next few months I’ll introduce each of the capitals, and give suggestions of how they can be used to measure.
In this article, we will be focusing on natural capital, which is defined as the environment, natural beauty, lakes, rivers and streams, forests, wildlife, soil and the local landscape. Natural capital consists of all the natural resources available to a community, which could include water, air, fertile soil, biodiversity and landscape or wildlife habitats. These are all resources that are not man-made and already exist. Most all our natural capitals can be affected by things that are out of human control, such as drought.
Let’s look at an example of natural capital such as water. If your community has a river this could positively affect your natural capital with the financial impact that it could create due to tourism and recreation. In addition to financial capital, a river could also increase the quality of life for families who enjoy spending time outdoors, which could be considered social capital. From this example, it is easy to see how the capital framework is intertwined.
When thinking about the natural capital that exists in your community, you must first consider who owns it or who has rights to it. For instance, land usage could be the jurisdiction of local, state or federal entities. Regulations and ordinances are often in place and must be studied before a community can move forward with a project.
What kind of natural capital exists in your community? What are the benefits and what are the potential concerns? These are questions that communities need to consider as they plan for their future, understanding that there is an interconnection between each of the capitals.
