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How to create community=university partnerships that can be sustained over time is the theme of Volume 4 (2011) of the journal, Gateways: the International Journal of Community Research & Engagement. There are quite a few excellent pieces of interest to planners in this volume—which is not at all focused on infrastructure. Definitely worth a read if your work on campus involves planning for workable community partnerships in some way. 

Requires free registration to access. Here are two examples from the many interesting articles in this issue:

Collaboration Between Universities: An effective way of sustaining community-university partnerships ... 

[E]xplores the potential for universities to collaborate on building effective engagement mechanisms (such as helpdesks, ‘hub and spoke’ contact models, and research groups to review ideas for activities) that will support an ongoing flow of new projects and partnerships over time. ...

In an ‘age of austerity’, we contend that collaboration between universities may be an efficient and effective way of engaging with local communities but that such inter-university collaboration is not cost-free and requires high-level strategic buy-in by institutions. ...

However, the resources required to create the ‘infrastructure’ to support community engagement are sometimes overlooked. A significant proportion of these costs are for academic and administrative support staff time, although there may also be marketing and promotion costs as well as general office-related overheads.

A Mutually Beneficial Relationship: University of the Third Age and a regional university campus is definitely of interest to planners with regard to engaging “active retirees” in the academic community.

A mutually beneficial relationship has developed over the past 15 years between a regional South Australian branch of the University of the Third Age (U3A) and the local university campus. Arising from the initiative of a community member, the group sought assistance from the university, and has now become integrated into campus life.

The ‘third age’ is the age of active retirement, following childhood and youth and then the age of full-time employment, and preceding a more dependent old age for some.