Measuring the community dream: A social capital lens of capacity building initiatives

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 2010, San Antonio leaders sought to leverage networks and collective action to create a future in which each resident was responsible to the whole community in helping to reach a shared vision for 2020 to become a world-class city. In doing so, city administrators applied social capital theories to utilize the active networks in a social capital-rich community, which creates a wider capacity for dynamic actions and more opportunity for community practitioners to meet development goals. This case study compiles secondary sources from publicly distributed data sets, utilizing data mining techniques and social network analysis to describe community capacity building outcomes. This case study examines community development outcomes through a social-network analysis of organizational leadership, combined with an examination of diversity, civic engagement, and participation within the decade-long initiative, to provide insights for other leaders seeking to utilize a social capital theory approach to capacity building.