Community well-being is receiving quite a bit of attention. A recent handbook on the subject reported 17,000 downloads in its first few months of release. The world over, there is concern, focus, and resources being directed at issues that impact the well-being of all. In the community context, we are seeing research emerge from a variety of perspectives and disciplines, particularly public health and related areas in policy and development studies.

This is the second volume of the new International Journal of Community Well-Being. In this, the second issue of the second volume, we continue to advance the knowledge and practice of community well-being as an interdisciplinary broad conception of human and societal well-being.

As noted on our website, the focus of this new journal is on communities of place and interest within geographic or societal spaces concerning social, economic, cultural, social, environmental or political conditions and impacts on societal and social well-being. There are myriad disciplines and areas of scholarship that community well-being impacts, ranging from community development, geography, urban and regional planning, economic development, public administration, regional studies, sociology, community learning and education, psychology and health, to name several. We do not intend to limit the scope by disciplinary boundaries and invite scholarship from any perspective that is concerned with community well-being and seeks further understanding of its applications and dimensions.

This issue includes a thought-provoking essay by Michael Woolcock of the World Bank on the vital question of when do development projects enhance community well-being? The connections of community aspects of well-being are viewed via a lens that provides insights into how we evaluate and gauge impacts. A thought leader in development and community focused work, Michael is a social scientist in development research, having experience around the globe.

See our first issue’s introduction for a more thorough exploration of community well-being. In the meantime, there does not yet exist one definition that clearly defines community well-being. We think this is an opportunity to both help define it, as well as reflect on its interconnectedness, complexity, and many nuances inherent in its study and application across a range of disciplines and contexts. We hope you will join us in seeking theoretical and applied constructs in scholarship and practice in this newer and continually evolving area of study.

Join our community of scholars by submitting a manuscript, or a review of a program, policy, or book. We can continue to build and enhance our knowledge of community well-being together. Note that all issues and articles are freely accessible to download for the first two years, to both celebrate the arrival of the journal and to encourage wider use and dissemination to support building the literature and understanding of community well-being.