Understanding Communities

The term 'community' similar to that of the term 'society' (as discussed previously) cannot be easily defined. Neither should it have to be. Whereas 'society' can in fact encompass everything from human to object behaviour and to an endless extent, a 'community' is already something more specific and only relevant in a specific context. We should not attempt define 'society' or the associations through an understanding of communities as, this too like 'society' is intangible. A community should be treated as a community how ever complex its associations are. 

Every community is different how ever similar its values are to another. To apply rules, politics design or structure to a series of communities is to completely discredit to notion that communities are collections of individuals with independent paradigms and subjective opinions. It is obviously completely impossible to understand every opinion of every individual within a community. This like the idea of 'society' is too broad but by taking large samples of communities a national hypothetical 'map' could be created representing political views, needs or behaviour as just a few examples on a localised thus accurate scale. 

The term society is usually only mentioned when an individual wants to shift a responsibility onto the 'masses'. To blame society is to blame the Nation and beyond through international associations. And, to what extent they continue cannot be defined. To blame a community though is to highlight a region or a collective of people. Thus creating the ability for us to target regions or collections more accurately. This in turn prevents us from inflicting expensive policies and design onto a national scale an to other regions where such implications are not relevant.

The idea of public spaces in my opinion highlights this perfectly. Public and common spaces by the nature of them tend to be very generic. Community centers for example tend to be empty rooms or shells of buildings. The ideology behind an empty community center surely would be fine as it should allow a community to change the space to their specific needs. This too like public parks, squares etc actually don't tend to shaped by communities. The are two reasons in my opinion for this. Firstly, legislation. The rules, planning and laws involved in making structural changes to a building, putting up signs or creating social furniture etc are so daunting they must deter the most committed of communitarian's. Secondly, the laziness of community representatives. The effort involved to conduct a democratic vote for new proposals is so great that this too is likely to deter the governing body or council from passing motions.   

Councils, the supposed representatives of geographically based communities tend to make decisions regarding public spaces under the justification they were democratically elected. 

Communities now tend to have few voices to forward proposals. This misconception here is that few people care. The idea of communities has become popular in the media and politics again, and hopefully this will encourage the motivation towards a community's well-being. Communities only tend to come together when they feel they are about to loose something; a park for development, a tree for a road, a post office and so on. If communities and individuals were engaged with initially, such fights would not need to occur. Communities would be brought together as a result of potential for new positive attributes rather than in defense of the negative.

Types of Community

German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies distinguished between two types of human association: Gemeinschaft (usually translated as "community") and Gesellschaft ("society" or "association"). In his 1887 work, Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft, Tönnies argued that Gemeinschaft is perceived to be a tighter and more cohesive social entity, due to the presence of a "unity of will." He added that family and kinship were the perfect expressions of Gemeinschaft, but that other shared characteristics, such as place or belief, could also result in Gemeinschaft. Gemeinschaft (community) shall therefore be the focus for these writings.

Many different writers, sociologists and public's percieve many different types of community and what is and what isn't a community. Community is 'the sense of belonging' and thus i believe that everyones perception is valid should this sense be present. 

The major types of communities identified are as follows:

- Cohousing

The vast majority of existing cohousing communities had considerable resident input into the design process as it unfolds. For neighborhood-level cohousing, site designs generally cluster housing with enhanced pedestrian and play areas to promote frequent, spontaneous human contact - cars (roads and parking) are usually de-emphasized and set apart from the homes and primary common spaces. Cohousing can also take other forms, including large, shared buildings, and groups of existing dwellings that are retrofitted into Cohousing communities. While many, and probably most, cohousing communities have been self-developed, there are an increasing number of cohousing projects which start with leadership from commercial developers.Cohousing communities, typically, use private, home ownership as part of the community's economic model - making it relatively easy for forming groups to obtain construction and mortgage financing from conventional banks. You may also wish to learn more about what Cohousing is not.Most cohousing communities have a "common house," a building (or space within a larger building) that most often includes a large kitchen and dining room, with a wide range of other possible facilities. This shared space is intended to act as an extension of the individual private homes, and many cohousing homes are smaller than their non-community counterparts.

- Eco-village

Around the world, many people are starting to use the term 'ecovillage' to describe their communities, projects, and other endeavors. What do people mean by 'ecovillage'? What do these projects share in common, and how are they diverse? First, ecovillage is a vision, an ideal, a goal. Except for some aboriginal villages that have retained their ancient sustainable cultures, there are no examples of fully realized ecovillages as of this writing. Those using the term are describing a commitment or intent to live more sustainably, reintegrating their lives with ecology.

- Kibbutzim

There are 285 kibbutzim (communal settlements) in Israel today. Though most are not religiously focused, a few are. The vast majority are affiliated with the Kibbutz Movement, a pluralistic umbrella organization. While all are more or less politically left wing, kibbutzim have diverged widely from the high level of similarity and centralized economies that characterized the movement just a generation ago. In response to intense economic, political, and generational pressures, most groups have become less communal and allow much more individual choice around finances and job selection. It remains to be seen whether this trend toward diversification and privatization will ultimately produce a stronger, more resilient movement.

- Religious and spiritual

Religious and Spiritual communities range from long-standing Catholic monasteries and nunneries to the newest New Age groups. Some have a very unified practice, with all in the community sharing a single practice while others have members following a variety of paths. The main thing they all have in common is that they tend to use community as a tool to further their spiritual agenda, rather than as an end in itself. Being gathered into a community allows participants to separate from the temptations and diversions of the outside world, and provides more intense reinforcement for living the focused life of the religious aspirant. We can view spiritual community as a cauldron that creates an intense, focused heat not easily found elsewhere. Many spiritual leaders have recommended or even required that their followers live in a community of believers, as a way to deepen their spiritual life and promote the internal changes that move them closer to the ideal. If you choose to enter the life of a religious community, it is important that you accept the religious practice of the group, without thinking that it will be perfect once you get them to change one or several aspects you don't agree with.

- Egalitarian

One group of such communities that is very active in the US communities movement is the Federation of Egalitarian Communities (FEC)[1]. Each member community agrees to four principal values: egalitarianism, income sharing, cooperation, and non-violence. Each member has equal access to the decision-making process, and to the resources of the community. FEC communities range in size from family size groups to village size, with their decision-making and resource-allocation systems generally becoming more structured and complex as their size increases. Because of the large overlap of shared values, the FEC communities have been able to create and maintain a variety of inter-community connections and projects, including a work exchange program, joint businesses, and a major medical insurance fund.

- Student co-ops

Student housing co-ops are associated with a number of colleges and universities, providing a low-cost alternative to dorms, apartments, fraternities, and sororities. Students often choose co-ops initially for the lower cost, and only discover the interpersonal benefits after they move in. For many young people, student co-ops provide them with their first taste of intentional community. Houses range in size from small houses with a handful of residents, to large buildings that house over a hundred co-opers. Some co-ops restrict members to students while others draw members from the broader community. Student co-ops generally subscribe to the principles of the Co-op Movement, known as the Rochdale principles, written down by a group of weavers in Rochdale, England in 1844. In brief, these are: 1) voluntary and open membership; 2) democratic member control; 3) member economic participation; 4) autonomy and independence; 5) cooperation among cooperatives; and 6) concern for community. The North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO)[1] is the organizational voice of the student Co-op Movement. It provides education, training, networking, and development assistance to existing and new student housing, dining, and business co-ops.

- Shared Housing

Many of us living in larger, more organized communities got our start living together in casually structured, shared households... there are also hundreds, if not thousands, of shared households which self-identify as communities (see Communities directories).

There is overlap between "shared households" with other types of communities. For example, there are Egalitarian communities which occupy a single house, which would probably be considered a shared household by most people. Many Student Co-ops similarly occupy single houses. It is not usual for shared households who self-identify as Intentional Communities to label themselves as Cohousing.

- Co-ops

 housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. The occupancy agreement specifies the co-op's rules. Cooperative is also used to describe a non-share capital co-op model in which fee-paying members obtain the right to occupy a bedroom and share the communal resources of a house that is owned by a cooperative organization.

Some of information published here is from: 

http://wiki.ic.org/wiki/Category:Types_of_Community

The Collapse and Rise of Community and its Governing Politics

Dick Atkinson in his book 'The Common Sense of Community' states that the gradual collapse of the sense of community is the result of 'technological change', "new market forces" and " policies of successive governments". The concern can felt throughout civilisations from lesser economically developed countries (LEDC's) to more economically developed countries (MEDC's).  Such concern has been at the forefront of many political policies and manefestoes and has trickled down via the media to the public to whom it should concern most.

Atkinson unlike MacIntyre's supposed "Atlantic theoretical... narrow liberal[ist]" view believes that the problems that communities face are far more complex than they are initially percieved. He states there are two strands of thought; "the one about everyday life," (Alistair MacIntyre) "and the other about political theory"(William Galston). Both these strands must be present he states but they must be coherent in order for successful communities to form. 

Atkinson states within the political sector that, the clash between "left and right" politics and the popularly debated subject of privitisation and council self governance inhibit the progression of policies designed to work through the emphasised individual. Atkinsons views are not always so pesimistic.  His views of our future as communities through the discovery of "vibrant life of mutual help and civic activity" imply positive change. Although he still believes the "fear that the collary of weak communities is that our belief in common values and our sense of responsibility for each other has atrophied." he believes "local initiatives are beginning to put in place institutions appropriate for a post-industrial city".

    

Economics, Politics and Community

"Recent economic writings have turned away from neo-classical models... they emphasise that successful economic government must recognize the significance of relations of interpersonal trust, local and community-based trading networks, collaboration amongst enterprises sharing a commitment to their particular geographical location."

"good governance must recognise the political importance of the patterns that arise out of complex interactions, negotiations and exchanges intermediate' social actors, groups, forces, organisations, public and semi-public institutions." 

Communities occur in many different shapes, sizes, forms and have a variety of communal similarities that create the interaction and bonds. Whether it be geographical location, religious beliefs, recreational activities etc politics must recognise structures and individual relationships in order provide for them. This too must also apply to design. Without an understanding of communities, and individual needs, how can we design for an audience. Design must engage with individuals in order to to be successful and should be the product of the communities needs not the designers assumptions of what is required.

'Community' History - Aristotle and Alistair MacIntyre

Alistair MacIntyre a 'revolutionary Aristotelian' and writer of the philosophical and ethically inspired book 'After Virtue' has a negative view on modern society. He relates today's society with the dark ages of the end of the Roman Empire. He states that although "the barbarians are no longer waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for some time." He blames social degradation on governance and believes that a single and united conception of 'good' (an Aristotelian idea) is what is required in order to revert society back to a civilised state of affairs. 

MacIntyre believes that communities should be the controlling force that judges individuals actions on their path towards 'good'. Communities should exercise the values and qualities of being 'good' and they should form the standard to which an individual can be judged. MacIntyres ideal of 'good' and the role it plays with in a community is very similar to Aristotle's 'Eudaimonia". Eudiamonia is a state translated in the context of virtue ethics as 'Human flourishing' or 'happiness'. Aristotle like MacIntyre believe that the pursuit of 'eudaimonia' and the 'good' will result in a mutually more beneficial community. Aristotle like Plato before him state that the pursuit of happiness and human flourishment can and should only be exercised trough the pursuit of 'human community'. 

The Emergence of Community

Nikolas Rose states in his book 'The Powers of Freedom' that the ideal of community has emerged as an important policy through new political approaches from the likes of Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher. Such policies have been seen to be adopted throughout the western world. This ideology behind neo-liberal individualism is to create new "economic arrangements, social institutions and politcal mecahnisms" which are designed for the individual and work through individuals. Rose states that "this hegemony has not been uncontested" but such attacks have been "inaccurate in their analysis" and "deficient in their stratagies". Many of such policies are still popularily tainted in the thought that they are 'right wing' and because they believe that only the rich can sustain themselves. 

Rose highlights that these policies are in fact "Freed from the necessity to repeat battles between the left and right" and they "attempt to identify a 'third way' of governing. This is associated with the powers of a territory between the authority of the state, the free and amoral exchange of the market and the liberty of the autonomous, 'rights-bearing' individual subject. Whilst it begs many questions" and there are many "competing versions of this 'third space... let us call this space of semantic and programmatic concerns 'community'." 

Differentiating Community From Society - (Mapping)

"'Society' is not some glue that could fix everything including what other glues cannot fix; it is what is glued together by many other connectors". The presence of 'society' may therefore be partially a result of many collections of communities that intertwine with one another through individuals. 

On the map above the clear disk that slides on top of the collection of people represents the invisible and weak bond society has over us. The spiked shape that fits on top of that goes to meet the individuals and thus represents a 'community'. A community is something more specific, it is shaped by the needs of committed members and alters to encompass 'the willing' through many forms of interaction.