Community problems are local issues that can only be effectively addressed by involving the people who live in the affected area. While communities have the potential to solve their own problems, they may require support from various sources, such as government funding or assistance from nonprofit organizations. In some cases, government intervention may be necessary in the form of laws, regulations, policies, programs, or citizen oversight. Solving community problems requires a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders. Here are some examples.
| Access to Education | Access to Products & Services |
| Access to Transportation | Addiction |
| Affordable Housing | Age Discrimination |
| Air Quality | Bullying |
| Capital Flight | Child Welfare |
| Childcare | Civic Engagement |
| Civility | Consumer Education |
| Cost of Living | Crime |
| Cultural Opportunities | Destruction of Ecosystems |
| Disability Rights | Disasters |
| Discrimination | Disease |
| Dispute Resolution | Domestic Violence |
| Economic Freedoms | Economic Problems |
| Emergency Services | Energy Infrastructure |
| Financial Security | Fire Safety |
| Food Security | Freedom of Association |
| Freedom of Movement | Freedom of Religion |
| Gender Discrimination | Green Space |
| Happiness | Health & Fitness |
| Healthcare | Homelessness |
| Housing Quality | Human Rights |
| Hunger & Nutrition | Infrastructure Decay |
| Lack of Opportunity | Land Degradation |
| Legal Rights | Loneliness & Isolation |
| Marketable Skills (job market) | Mental Health |
| Mismanagement of Resources | Modern Slavery |
| Noise | Obesity |
| Overcrowding | Overpolicing |
| Places for Recreation | Places to Play |
| Policing | Political Rights |
| Population Decline | Positive Role Models |
| Poverty | Preservation of Cultural Heritage |
| Privacy Rights | Public Space |
| Racism | Safety |
| Sanitation & Hygiene | School Dropout Rate |
| School Quality | Security |
| Service Disruptions (e.g. late trains) | Services for the Elderly |
| Small Business Failures | Social Opportunities |
| Social Stability | Social Support (i.e. people to turn to with a problem) |
| Socialization | Substance Abuse |
| Technology Infrastructure | Traffic Jams |
| Transportation Safety | Unemployment |
| Voter Turnout | Wages |
| Walkability | Waste Management |
| Water Infrastructure | Water Pollution |
| Water Security | Working Conditions |
| Youth Activities | Youth Unemployment |
There are two main approaches to solving community problems: political action and direct action. Political action involves working to influence government and businesses to address a problem, such as advocating for policies that reduce air pollution in a city. Direct action involves taking direct, practical steps to solve a problem at the community level, such as organizing a neighborhood group to repurpose a roadway as green infrastructure. Political action often involves creating “creative tension” to drive change, while direct action can benefit from using entrepreneurial approaches such as design thinking, systems thinking, and “fail well” strategies. Together, these two approaches can be powerful tools for addressing community problems and improving the quality of life in a given area.
