In today's world there is no single vision of the ideal community. "the test of social connection has as much to do with creating a space for difference and dissent as it does with sustaining collective visions and values"(Adelman & Frey, 1997, p. ix). Proponents and critics contend with vigor about the degree of cohesion that is healthy for contemporary communities. There is also no primary locus of community. While major efforts are underway to build community among residents of localities, there is great variation in where and how people today find their strongest sense of community. For some it around their neighborhood, for others at work, for others in a social cause, for others in an interest group, perhaps one that meets electronically, for others in an educational setting, for others in responding to a crisis, for others in a spiritual fellowship, for others in an ethnic, gender or other identity group, and the list goes on. And the community building process is dynamic. From moment to moment the sense of connection and community waxes and wanes as attention shifts back forth between task and relationships and as the process unfolds over time, events, participants and so forth.

Despite the complexities and dynamics of community building today there is one assumption the I make in authoring this site. It is that groups of people perform more creatively, with greater satisfaction, when their efforts to do things together are embedded in a process and experience of community building. I see community building as both an end and a means, an end because experiencing a sense of community is an intrinsically valuable element in being human, and a means because people function more effectively and healthily when their activities together foster a growing sense of community.

To explore ideas about community and community building further you might check out: Wholistic Systems Thinking which discusses ways those of us in contemporary organizations and communities are adjusting our learning, decision-making and action processes to better account for the complexity and interdependence of human and natural systems that science is revealing every day.

An interesting excursion into the thinking of M.Scott Peck, the author of the 1987 book, The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace and the co-founder of the Foundation for Community Encouragement, created to support community-building work. His piece titled "Joy of Community" delves into the art of attending to relations, process, task and structure in the ongoing work of developing and sustaining community.

Robert Putnam of Harvard has created a major stir in the fields of economic development, social welfare and democratic governance. His research shows the fundamental importance of social connections based on trust as a foundation for collective life and betterment. Take a look at his article titled "The Prosperous Community" to get a sense of the range and relevance of his ideas for community building. It may take a while for your computer to load this site, but it is worth the wait.

Please email Boyd Rossing, content author with comments. Please email Paula Godkin, web author with comments You are the 6089th to access this page.            Updated Wednesday, 18-Feb-2004 09:47:34 CST   URL is http://www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/community_building/commnty.html    © 2000 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, doing business as the Division of Cooperative Extension of the University of Wisconsin-Extension.