Smart Communities

Completely revised and updated, the second edition of Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future further examines the seven "leverage points" for decision making introduced by Suzanne Morse in the widely acclaimed first edition, originally published in 2004. Advances in technology, a massive recession, natural disasters, and changes in mainstream culture have been part of the enormous social and technological changes of the past decade. But while much has changed, much also remains the same with respect to poverty and economic issues.

Morse's proven system is as relevant today as it was a decade ago. To date, it has been adopted by thousands of community leaders from around the globe to enable them to build successful communities through informed decision making, cooperation, identification of strengths, and smart strategies. This edition has been updated to reflect our world as it exists today, including completely rewritten case studies that include more detailed information about the application of the seven leverage points, and a more extensive discussion of the entire process as a whole.

Suzanne W. Morse is an authority on building smart communities, speaking regularly for large audiences on urban and environmental planning. She has incorporated all of the most up-to-date knowledge and current research into this edition, and has gone further in depth to discuss the evolution of societal problems and how the leverage points can be applied to produce a specific outcome. The secret, she says, is not only having an implementation strategy for the long-run, but also working with precise community priorities to affect real and lasting change.