A Systems Approach to Modeling Community Development Projects
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AMADEI EBOOKS A Systems Approach to Modeling FOR THE Community Development Projects SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING Bernard Amadei SYSTEMS COLLECTION LIBRARY Mohammad Noori, Editor Create your own to Modeling Community Development Projects A Systems Approach This book makes the case for a systems approach to small- Customized Content scale community development projects. It specifi cally looks Bundle—the more at the application of one branch of systems science, called books you buy, system dynamics, to develop conceptual models of small- the greater your scale communities and address specifi c issues they might be facing at different scales. A systems approach recognizes that, discount! by defi nition, communities are complex adaptive systems consisting of multiple subsystems and parts (e.g., individuals, THE CONTENT institutions, and infrastructure) that are interconnected, driven • Manufacturing by some purpose, follow certain rules, and interact with each Engineering other and with their surrounding environment. In order to A Systems • Mechanical address community issues and problems, complexity and & Chemical uncertainty must be embraced and dealt with. Engineering The author demonstrates how to include a system- and Approach • Materials Science complexity-aware approach in the different phases of small- & Engineering scale community project management. Adopting this approach • Civil & comes with unique challenges such as dealing with ill-defi ned to Modeling Environmental problems, considering uncertainty, recognizing that no unique Engineering and best solutions to complex problems exist, and accepting Community • Advanced Energy satisfi cing solutions. The text details the need for community Technologies development practitioners to integrate in all stages of their projects: participation, systems thinking, continuous refl ection- Development in-action, and a combination of critical and creative tools. THE TERMS • Perpetual access for Dr. Amadei is professor of civil engineering at the University of Projects a one time fee Colorado at Boulder. He holds the Mortenson Endowed Chair • No subscriptions or in Global Engineering and serves as a faculty co-director of the Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities. access fees He is also the founding president of Engineers Without Borders • Unlimited - USA and the co-founder of the Engineers Without Borders- concurrent usage International network. Dr. Amadei is an elected member of the • Downloadable PDFs U.S. National Academy of Engineering and a Senior Ashoka • Free MARC records Fellow. For further information, a free trial, or to order, contact: [email protected] Bernard Amadei A Systems Approach to Modeling Community Development Projects Bernard Amadei A Systems Approach to Modeling Community Development Projects Copyright © Momentum Press®, LLC, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations, not to exceed 250 words, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published by Momentum Press®, LLC 222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017 www.momentumpress.net ISBN-13: 978-1-60650-518-2 (print) ISBN-13: 978-1-60650-519-9 (e-book) Momentum Press Sustainable Structural Systems Collection Cover and interior design by S4Carlisle Publishing Services Private Ltd., Chennai, India 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America Abstract This book makes the case for a systems approach to small-scale community development projects. It looks more specifically at the application of one branch of systems science, called system dynamics, to develop conceptual models of small-scale communities and address specific issues they might be facing at different scales. A systems approach recognizes that, by definition, communities are complex adaptive systems consisting of multiple subsystems and parts (e.g., individuals, institutions, and infrastructure) that are interconnected, are driven by some purpose, follow certain rules, and interact with each other and with their surrounding environment. In order to address community issues and problems, complexity and uncertainty must be embraced and dealt with. This book emphasizes and shows how to include a system- and complexity-aware approach in the different phases of small-scale community project management. Adopting this approach comes with unique challenges such as dealing with ill-defined problems, considering uncertainty, recognizing that no unique and best solutions to complex problems exist, and accepting satisficing (i.e., good enough) solutions. This book emphasizes the need for community development practitioners to integrate in all stages of their projects: participation, systems thinking, continuous reflection-in-action, and a combination of critical and creative tools. At the same time, practitioners must ensure that they deliver solutions that are sound from a technical point of view (i.e., done right), adaptable to the cultural, economic, and social context in which they work (i.e., rightly done), and developed for the right reasons. Keywords complexity, system dynamics, systems approach, systems thinking, adaptive, community, participation, development projects, reflective practice, behavior patterns, structure, context, satisficing. CONTENTS Preface ................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................... 1 1.1 Background and Context ............................................ 1 1.2 Systems in Our Daily Lives ........................................ 9 1.3 A Systems View of the World ................................... 14 1.4 Goals of the Book ..................................................... 24 1.5 Book Content .......................................................... 27 References ...................................................................... 29 Chapter 2 The Systemic Aspect of Community Development ........ 37 2.1 Human Development .............................................. 37 2.2 Models and Measures of Human Development ........ 42 2.3 Community Development ....................................... 48 2.4 Sustainability and Development ............................... 55 2.5 Concluding Remarks ................................................ 64 References ...................................................................... 65 Chapter 3 Communities as Complex Adaptive Systems .................. 71 3.1 Types of Systems ...................................................... 71 3.2 Systems Thinking ..................................................... 78 3.3 Characteristics of Complex and Adaptive Systems .... 86 References .................................................................... 100 Chapter 4 System Dynamics Modeling ......................................... 105 4.1 Systems Approach .................................................. 105 4.2 System Dynamics ................................................... 106 4.3 System Dynamics Components .............................. 111 4.4 System Archetypes .................................................. 116 4.5 Modeling ............................................................... 123 4.6 Individual and Group Decision Modeling .............. 137 4.7 System Dynamics Software ..................................... 143 4.8 Mixed-Modeling Methods ..................................... 144 References .................................................................... 151 vi CONTENTS Chapter 5 Examples of Community Development System Modules .......................................................... 157 5.1 Introduction .......................................................... 157 5.2 About the Modules ................................................ 159 5.3 Population Modules .............................................. 160 5.4 Water Modules ...................................................... 163 5.5 Food Module ........................................................ 166 5.6 Health Module ...................................................... 168 5.7 Housing Module ................................................... 170 5.8 Behavior Change Module ...................................... 171 5.9 Concluding Remarks ............................................. 172 References ................................................................... 173 Chapter 6 A Systems Approach to Small-Scale Development Projects ................................................. 175 6.1 Project Life-Cycle Management ............................. 175 6.2 Project Life-Cycle Frameworks .............................. 183 6.3 Proposed Framework ............................................. 194 6.4 Reflection-in-Action .............................................. 197 6.5 Identification and Initiation .................................. 202 6.6 Community Appraisal ........................................... 203 6.7 Causal Analysis ...................................................... 219 6.8 Comprehensive Work Plan .................................... 228 6.9 From Implementation to Long-Term Sustainability ............................................................... 235 6.10 Stock-and-Flow Representation ........................... 239 References ..................................................................