A Deeper Look at Community Sufficiency
Vol. III, No. 101 - Today's communities exist, thanks to the efforts of those from the past
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Community sufficiency is a big idea that focuses on helping towns and neighborhoods become more self-reliant, connected, and resilient. This past week, in my role as a non-profit Executive Director, I participated in a very large community event. Reflecting on the event, I kept on coming back to this topic in my mind, to the point I wanted to take a deeper look at what it means for our own community. While the term itself is not brand new, it covers a whole range of ideas about how people can work together and support each other, especially in a world that often feels busy and divided.
Understanding Community Sufficiency
Community sufficiency comes from the long history of local communities working together. In the past, people often depended on one another in their towns for food, supplies, and support. Everything from farming to celebrations was done as a group. These tight bonds helped communities thrive and overcome tough times. Over the last century, however, many of those close ties started fading away as cities grew and people became more focused on individual lives.
Today, concerns such as economic challenges and social problems have made people rethink how important it is for a community to be strong and self-reliant. The idea isn’t that a town becomes completely independent from the outside world, but that it has enough connections, resources, and spirit to take care of itself whenever possible.
The Impact of Modern Life
During the 20th century, big changes like industrialization and globalization shifted the ways people live and work. These changes led to less involvement in local communities. Robert D. Putnam’s well-known book “Bowling Alone” described how American communities were seeing a decline in “social capital”—the trust and ties people have to their neighbors, clubs, churches, and groups.
The book explains how people, by focusing more on personal goals and moving around more often, ended up feeling more isolated. Putnam’s research also shows that communities with strong social connections bounce back more easily when hard times hit. They are more likely to solve problems together and support their local businesses, making both the community and its economy stronger.
Community Sufficiency as an Answer
Choosing a course in community sufficiency is more than just a reaction to modern problems; it’s a positive step for the future. When people participate in local decisions, join together for events or work hard in volunteering, and support local businesses, average every-day residents end up building a sense of belonging. This makes day-to-day life richer and more meaningful for everyone.
Through public spaces, gatherings, and helping one another, people can rediscover what it means to be neighbors. In tough times, such as during a natural disaster or an economic downturn, these close relationships mean that the community is ready to face problems together—sharing resources and looking out for one another.
Local History and Identity
Communities like Troy were founded on basic community sufficiency. When settlers came and lived along the Great Miami River, they built trading posts, churches, and social clubs. Their lives became woven together through both work and play. Even today, towns with historic main streets, like Tipp City and Piqua, reflect this old pattern—a mix of stores and gathering places (such as older churches) co-existed in a community where people knew each other and helped out.
And even as Troy grew from a frontier town, community sufficiency existed in different forms. Early industrialists came together to buy lots of land on South Ridge Avenue and recruited the Hobart Brothers to set up shop here in Troy. These same industrialists worked to create other institutions such as hospitals, foundations and community centers. All of which provide benefits to today’s residents.
Some nearby places, like Huber Heights, were built more recently with a different focus. Developed mostly after World War II, Huber Heights was designed for car travel, not for close neighborhoods or walkable streets. As a result, it has a different feel—less like the close-knit towns of the past and more like a modern suburb. This contrast shows how the way we design our cities changes how connected our communities feel.
The Benefits for Troy
Supporting community sufficiency brings real benefits. When people shop at local stores, buy from farmers, and support homegrown businesses, more dollars stay in the local economy. This creates jobs and opportunities for residents and makes Troy’s economy less dependent on outside forces.
Beyond economics, people who get involved in local events, arts, and traditions build friendships and pride. They celebrate the town’s unique history while shaping a bright and inclusive future. Local artists, musicians, and storytellers help keep all of county unique community culture alive for the next generation.
Although there is no single person or group who “invented” community sufficiency, it is a living idea. It pulls from past traditions and modern innovations. Towns like ours can use it as a guide to renew their connections, support their local businesses, and ensure that everyone feels included.
Choosing community sufficiency isn’t just wishful thinking. It is a meaningful approach that allows people to build the kind of town they are proud to call home. By coming together and investing in one another, our hometowns can create a future filled with opportunity, resilience, and true connection.
One of the ways I was able to see that community sufficiency in action was last week on the Courthouse Plaza. The Miami County Common Pleas Court held their annual agency fair in coordination with their Mental Health Court. The Mental Health Court, headed by Judge Stacy Wall, is a specialized docket that is designed to get people the help they need when mental illness was a contributing factor to crime. The idea isn’t to simply let people avoid punishment, but rather to reduce recidivism and take a more holistic approach to community corrections by getting criminals the help they need in a more supervised approach.
The agency fair brough together local non-profit and government organizations, largely funded, staffed and supported by our communities, to help those that live here. Dozens of organizations were represented and showed the true fabric of what strong and effective community sufficiency looks like.
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