The Role of Local Government in Sustainable Community Development

This article demonstrates the growing role of the local government in promoting community sustainability in Seongnam, South Korea. In particular, specific attention is paid to the creating, supporting and partnering role of the Seongnam city government. This form of inter-sector collaboration is a new phenomenon in South Korea where community development has traditionally been approached from a self-help or government-directed perspective rather than through collaboration with the local government. This article presents four types of sustainability and three types of local government roles to provide an insight into the nature and importance of the public sector in community development. The case study examines the role of the Seongnam city government in the development of social enterprises and the sustainability of local communities. This article concludes by arguing that more effort is needed to incorporate residents’ new demands, including the needs for safe food, parent-based child care, and safe neighborhoods, into local governance, and to build institutions that allow community development organizations to engage directly with the local government while still preserving their independence from the government.