Peter Block

Peter Block (born 1939) is an American author, consultant, and speaker in the areas of organization development, community building, and civic engagement.

His most recent, The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods (2010), is co-authored with John McKnight, emeritus professor of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University.

[16] This book is a culmination of Peter's work on community and the cultural change needed for the creation of a more sustainable future.

[17][18] Peter's conceptualization of community is more complex, but he generally connects the term with reality outside of systems and institutions.

[19] Peter builds on Robert D. Putnam's ideas around the practical importance inherent in a "sense of community".

[20] Ultimately, Peter Block challenges communities and their leaders to transform the isolation, fear, and self-interest prevalent in Western culture into connectedness and caring for the whole by starting with accountability and generosity amongst its members.

This is his notion of the "ideal world" where accountability is abundant, commitment is authentic, and a community consciousness is prevalent throughout the global village.

[21] Peter Block's notion of a citizen is someone accountable and committed to the well-being of the whole[22] and a participant in a democracy, regardless of their legal status.

Peter Block conceives of "stewardship" as an umbrella term that encapsulates the means towards the achievement of fundamental change in the manner in which we govern institutions.