Critical Reflection
Order Description
Activity 1
Shifting focus from needs to assets
Use the Mathie and Cunningham (2003) reading to:
(a) identify some of the issues that arise when community development focuses on the needs and problems in a community and
(b) identify some of the benefits and opportunities that can arise from shifting focus to an asset-based development approach.
Word (approx 100 words)
Activity 2
Justice issues in the city and possible community responses
Identify the justice concerns in one of the readings listed below. The three readings are related to different justice and commons concerns:
CAHA CaseStudy Newcastle 2015.pdf
Lalas 2007 .pdf
Wolch et al 2014.pdf
Reading 1: Coal mining, climate justice, atmospheric commons, and health concerns
Reading 2: Education, social justice, multicultural, diversity and equity knowledge commons in schools
Reading 3: Green space and commons garden spaces in cities, equity access issues for poorer/ disadvantaged households
(a) In your Critical reflection journal describe one of the justice concerns above in more detail based on your chosen reading
(b) Name and describe ways in which these concerns are being addressed or could be addressed by a community?
(100 words maximum)
Activity 3
Communities making and sharing a commons
After reading the essential reading ‘Take Back Property: Commoning’:
(a) Identify one commons or potential commons you are familiar with (either from your own experience or one that has been in public media recently
(b) Who do you think is ‘the community’ who makes and shares this commons?
(c) How are people and other things working together to maintain this commons?
(d) Has this commons been maintained over several generations or is it quite new?
(e) What are some of the challenges and threats to this community and commons?
(f) How might these challenges be overcome?