A timeline of community development

Q: How do I move around the timeline?

There’s more than one way to do this:

• At the bottom of the screen is a scale marked with years. On the scale is a small, semi-opaque box. You can pick it up and drag it left and right to move through the years.
• Alternatively, place your mouse arrow anywhere on the black area of the timeline. Click and drag left, right, up, down to move through the years.

Q: How do I search the timeline?

Use the magnifying glass tool in the bottom right-hand corner of the timeline and choose  ‘search’ to look for a particular event or word mentioned in the timeline. Results will be displayed as dots along the bottom of the timeline and in the timeline itself.

Q: How do I increase the size of the timeline?

There’s more than one way to do this:

• Use the magnifying glass tool in the bottom right-hand corner of the timeline and choose ‘zoom’ to spread the timeline out, or scale scale it back, and increase the size of all events. Click and drag the ‘Time’ and ‘Time fine tune’ sliders to a point where you are happy with the display.
• View the full screen version of the timeline.
• There are three different views of the timeline, and one may suit you better. In the top right corner of the timeline you can choose from ‘Timeline’ (default), ‘Pinboard’, and ‘List view’.

Q: Can I view the entries chronologically?

The best way to do this is in the ‘List’ view, which you can find in the top right-hand corner of the timeline. You can also use the ‘Pinboard’ view, which arranges the entries in a chronological grid.

You can always return to the timeline view by clicking ‘Timeline’.

Q: How do I filter the timeline?

• To filter by category: Use the magnifying glass tool in the bottom right-hand corner of the timeline and choose ‘category’ to select the categories you want to see, or ‘show all’.
• To filter by tag: If you notice a tag and want to see the other entries related to it, simply click the tag in the entry you are viewing, and the timeline will filter everything except entries with that tag.

Q: Why has Local Trust created this timeline?

Local Trust’s main programme, Big Local, draws on the history and current practice of community development. We have a strong interest in championing community development initiatives past and present, and stimulating new conversations about the role of communities.

We asked writer David Boyle to write an essay exploring how community development has changed over the decades, and the timeline came about as part of this work. In fact,  David suggested the idea in a previous essay for us, Counterweight,  because he felt that lessons from history were often overlooked by policymakers. 

Q: Who is David Boyle?

David Boyle is the author of the essay and timeline. He has written a range of books about history, social change, politics and the future, and has previously written two essays for Local Trust, The grammar of change and Counterweight. He has been editors of a number of publications including Town & Country Planning, Community Network, New Economics, Liberal Democrat News and Radical Economics. He is a fellow of the New Economics Foundation.

Q: Will the timeline continue beyond 2020?

There are currently no plans to add events beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Q: Who decided which events to include?

The events in the timeline were handpicked by writer David Boyle and reflect the themes discussed in his essay commissioned by Local Trust, A history of community development. It is not intended to be an objective or complete resource or reference. Instead, the timeline offers an appealing, interactive format to present key events from 80 years of community development history and reach out to a new audience.

Selected events suggested in our series of history blogs are included in a category of ‘guest entries’. We’https://localtrust.org.uk/timeline-blogs/re also asking people to share suggestions, memories, photos and thoughts inspired by David Boyle’s essay and the timeline by posting on Twitter using the hashtag #TrustLocalPeople.

Q: Why does the timeline start and end where it does?

David Boyle chose to start the timeline with the London Blitz and end with the COVID-19 pandemic because both events required communities to respond to crisis, and felt this offered an opportunity to reflect on a period of history that has influenced modern policymakers. David’s essay opens with a reflection on alternative, earlier start dates.

Q: Why have you chosen to focus on X rather than Y?

David Boyle’s history reflects his perspective on community development, rooted in his own experience and knowledge, rather than an exhaustive or definitive history.

Q: Why do some categories stop and start as they do?

There are three broad, ongoing categories that span the full timeline: ‘Big ideas and world events’, ‘UK policy’ and ‘Main community development’. More time-specific ideas around community development – which often burned bright for a time and then ebbed away in the UK (such as ‘Community development as technical aid’, a movement which had its heyday between the 1970s and 1990s) – come and go accordingly.

Q: Why are there only a few events in some categories, while others are very full?

The selection of events was handpicked by David Boyle to accompany his essay, A history of community development and is not intended to provide a complete survey of relevant events. We are inviting people to share additional events, memories, photos and thoughts inspired by David Boyle’s essay and the timeline by positing on Twitter using the hashtag #TrustLocalPeople. Please share your knowledge!

Q: Why is ‘Big ideas and world events’ always on?

We have set this category to be turned on at all times because it provides the wider context of major social, political and cultural world events to situate each UK-focused entry.

Q: How do I provide additional information for the timeline?

We’re inviting people to share additional events, memories, photos and thoughts inspired by David Boyle’s essay and the timeline by posting on Twitter using the hashtag #TrustLocalPeople.

Q: Are you accepting amendments and corrections?

We’d love to correct any factual errors in the timeline and will either do this ourselves, or refer them to the author, David Boyle, if needed. At the time of launch we are not seeking to make substantial changes to the timeline and instead are inviting different perspectives on it in the form of blogs. To suggest any factual corrections or propose a blog, please email communications@localtrust.org.uk.

Q: Will you be updating the timeline?

We hope so! We’ll be sharing plans to build on David’s essay on the history of community development and as part of this hope to review the timeline.