Creation And Inhibition Of Community Formation - Dissertation Example

Creation And Inhibition Of Community Formation Table of Contents 1. Creation of sense of community by people in cities………………………………………..2 1.1 Community formation…………………………………………………………………….2 1.2 Types of communities in cities……………………………………………………………2 1.3 Sense of community formation……………………………………………………………3 1.4 Social dynamic promoting community formation………………………………………...4 1.5 Transport infrastructure creating community formation………………………………….4 1.6 Spatial configuration of city in promoting community…………………………………...5 1.7 Role of shared public opinion in creating sense of citizenship…………………………...5 1.8 Role of stranger as outsider in the city……………………………………………………6 1.9 Role of spatial segregation in community formation……………………………………..6 1.10 Community as shared physical space……………………………………………………7 1.11 Creation of social mixes…………………………………………………………………7 2. Factors and conditions impeding the process of community formation………………….7 2.1 Social dynamics responsible for community inhibition…………………………………..7 2.2 Transport infrastructure leading to community fracture………………………………….8 2.3 Spatial configuration of the city in generating tension between community groups……..8 2.4 Role of spatial segregation in community division……………………………………….9 2.5 Order-disorder tension……………………………………………………………………9 2.6 Tension between movement and settlement…………………………………………….10 2.7 Social mixes leading to community division…………………………………...……….10 3. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….10-12 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………..………….13 1. CREATION OF SENSE OF COMMUNITY BY PEOPLE IN CITIES COMMUNITY FORMATION A community is a recognizable group in which people share an environment. The word community means " Common public, shared by all or many." (Harper, 2001). According to Tonnies; " Community is perceived to be a tighter and more cohesive social entity within the context of the larger society due to the presence of the ‘unity of will.'"(Tonnies, 1887). Community formation is actually a balance between self-interest and shared the interest. Individuals care for the common good and develop a sense of community. Personal, cultural views, worldviews, attitudes, and beliefs result in community formation. Interaction within the community leads to the strength of the community. Effective communication is important to the formation and maintenance of communities. According to M. Scott Peck; " Conscious community building is a process of building a shared story and consensual decision making built upon respect for all individuals and inclusivity of difference." Communities consist of a group of people having the common identity other than location in which members interact regularly. e.g: Professional community or virtual community. It is a place where people inhabit a common environment and interact with one another. TYPES OF COMMUNITIES IN CITIES “Cities are essentially open, mobile, mixed places” (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999). The cultural evolution greatly affects the community pattern. There are basically three types of communities; 1. A community of geographical location. 2. The community as an organization. 3. The community as shared culture. Communities are based on three types of organizing; 1. Grass root organizing. It starts from scratch and requires new leadership. 2. Coalition institution based organizing (broad-based). Such community unites into existing groups such as civic associations, clubs, etc to fulfill common agendas. 3. Faith-based organizing (congregation based). Congregations, unions, and associations are involved in it. Local communities include; 1. The municipality (town or village). 2. Neighborhood (city or suburb). 3. Planned communities. (Capital cities). SENSE OF COMMUNITY FORMATION When individuals commit to the collective well being of the group acquire a sense of community. There are four elements involved in a sense of community; 1. “ Membership. 2. Influence. 3. Integration and fulfillment of needs. 4. Shared emotional connection.” (McMillan, Chavis, 1986). Freedom and security are essential for the sense of community. The sense of community focuses on the experience of the community rather than its formation, structure or setting. According to Sarson; " Sense of community is the perception of similarity to others, an acknowledgment and interdependence with others, a willingness to maintain this interdependence by giving to or doing for others what one expects from them and the feeling that one is part of a large dependable and stable structure." (Sarson, 1974). The sense of community "is a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group and a shared faith that member's needs will be met through their commitment to be together." (McMillan, Chavis, 1986). 1.4 SOCIAL DYNAMIC PROMOTING COMMUNITY FORMATION “Cities are places of mixing and meeting places where different worlds encounter one another on the streets.” (Steve Pile, Christopher Brook, Garry Mooney, 1999). Gusfield (1975) identified two dimensions of community territorial and relational. Relational dimension is associated with nature and quality of relationship in the community. Territorial community includes neighborhood but shared territories also require relation. Often people are brought together to act in common self-interest. Social movement mobilizes community members to act and increase relationship between people. Organized community seeks accountability from elected officials. Cities are seen as unruly places in need of government and control. Boundaries (Language, dress, ritual, etc), emotional safety, sense of belongingness and satisfaction within the people, personal investments and a common symbol system promote community formation. 1.5 TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE CREATING COMMUNITY FORMATION Transport infrastructure in cities promotes trade, economic integration and sustainable development. Quick transport and communication system links one city to the other. People move in and out of the city through transport thus sharing information and goods, which is essential for healthy development of community. It leads to a stabilized community. Transport holds the key to urban sustainability”. (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999). Transport infrastructure helps a community to keep in touch with the rest of the communities and develop their communities thus keeping in pace with the rest of the world. 1.6 SPATIAL CONFIGURATION OF CITY IN PROMOTING COMMUNITY Communities are formed by natural and constructed environment both consciously and unconsciously. Landscape reflects the spatial manipulation between humans and their environment. People modify their living and working space depending upon their senses, utility and economic value. Thus a community develops in a space, which is a macro-scale spatial division of the earth’s surface. “City as a fluid entity, at the flows of people to city and the patterns of movement within it, and also at the ways in which people settle into different areas of cities”. (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999). 1.7 ROLE OF SHARED PUBLIC OPINION IN CREATING SENSE OF CITIZENSHIP Exchange of ideas and thoughts in a community leads to a shared public opinion which develops sense of citizenship with shared interest and beliefs. Community building leads to increased internal justice and individual well being which results in shared values. It is not possible when the individuals are disconnected. “ In human community intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs and a multitude of other conditions may be common affecting the degree of adhesion within the mixture, but the definitive driver of community is that all individual subjects in the mix have something in common.” (Wikipedia). Shared emotional connection “seems to be the definitive element for true community”. (McMillan, Chivas,1986). Greater personal interaction increases the likelihood that people will become close. A community of interest is developed when people share a common interest or passion. Thus shared opinions, beliefs, ideas and notions create a sense of citizenship in the community. 1.8 ROLE OF STRANGER AS OUTSIDER IN THE CITY "Cities traditionally are the places where strangers meet and also make their livings." (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999).The stranger comes in contact with the people in the city due to occupation or trade, but he/she is not committed to the unique tendencies of the group and approaches them the specific attitude of objectivity. This objectivity does not involve passivity and detachment. It is a mixture of distance and nearness, indifference and involvement. The stranger is fixed within a spatial group whose boundaries are similar to the spatial boundaries of the city. The stranger is yet an organic member of the community. "Cities are shaped as much by events and processes that happens elsewhere as they are by what happens within them." (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999). 1.9 ROLE OF SPATIAL SEGREGATION IN COMMUNITY FORMATION Segregation patterns vary by geographical regions. Demographic, political and economic power contributes towards spatial segmentation of community. Human understanding of the environment is cultural and they collectively define and redefine their surroundings. Spatial segregations lead to social support networks, protection against discrimination as people occupy places safer for them and preservation of cultural heritage. A specific place becomes shared by people of common culture and beliefs. People often travel to other cities for the job on the daily basis and some settled there. Some areas are segregated by race, ethnicity, and class. People belonging to a certain religion or class occupy a certain area and form communities due to their close living habits. " The dynamism of cities, the economic and cultural vitality that is often associated with the dense clustering of people, culture and activities is in many ways a testimonial to what comes together and blends within particular city spaces." (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999). Thus population mix, cultural or political structure often leads to spatial segregation. 1.10 COMMUNITY AS SHARED PHYSICAL SPACE A community of place develops when people bind together because of their work, living, visitor when they spend a continuous period of time together. The sense of community with a sense of place leads to a stable and cohesive local community. A Community is a physical settled place where people come together and share their values. Thus an intentional community is formed in a specific place, which improves the community as a whole. 1.11 CREATION OF SOCIAL MIXES No group in a community can exist in total isolation. Co-existence of different groups within cities creates social mixes. It can enhance a feeling of community, which can lead to mutual recognition and respect. A successful effort by a mix of participants tends to attract the attention of other less connected people who seek to join the group. The balance between self-interest and shared interest within and among members of the group is a crucial factor in the formation of community. "Cities are the point of intersection where the flows of money, information, ideas and communications meet up often to produce something entirely new information and fashion." Hence through different ways, people consciously or unconsciously create overlapping notions of community. 2. FACTORS AND CONDITIONS IMPEDING THE PROCESS OF COMMUNITY FORMATION SOCIAL DYNAMICS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNITY INHIBITION Environmental determinants have bemoaned the loss of community with increased urbanization. Dominant economic networks set back economic growth and polarize the fortune between rich and poor cities. As city life symbolizes wealth, domain and opportunity for people it has also led to pollution poverty and struggle. A social process that may severely impede community promotion in one city may not be so severe in another city. Social disintegration in industrialized nations results in loss of community. The main cause of tension in communities is due to the exposure of cities to new global influences. Tension is produced by social and cultural mixture, which destabilizes the society. "Cities are loci of power, difference, and diversity". (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999). TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE LEADING TO COMMUNITY FRACTURE As transport infrastructure is beneficial to community formation it can also lead to the inhibition of the community. The powerful community can exploit the week one by sharing negative information and taking control of the resources of the city. This can destabilize the community. Contacts with other city members can create tension due to the difference in culture and norms. Cities in the world are dynamic which results in their interconnection. Outsiders can acquire control and influence over the city. The clash between different rhythms of the city can destabilize urban life. Economic flows of finance can unsettle the existing patterns of the community leading to class differences. Transport infrastructure can disrupt natural rhythms. "Cities are necessarily anti-nature, cities contain the possibility for some exciting changes to the human relationship with nature." (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999). 2.3 SPATIAL CONFIGURATION OF THE CITY IN GENERATING TENSION BETWEEN COMMUNITY GROUPS According to Niara Clara Palma; " The city is considered as a macro system whose evolution is assumed as a cumulative process of individual location with decisions ruled by the interaction between spatial configuration and socioeconomic relationships." Sustained involvement in tight communities might tend to worsen tensions in individuals. The spatial socioeconomic relationships are "attraction tensions" between urban locations. " Cities are also areas of intolerance and persecution in which strangers refuse to accept the validity of other ways of life". (John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke, 1999). 2.4 ROLE OF SPATIAL SEGREGATION IN COMMUNITY DIVISION Economic conditions often force people to move from one city to another city. People move for jobs to distinct continents of the world. Spatial differentiation is given not only by morphological configuration but also by spatial patterns of social appropriation. Social differences such as income, wealth, class, gender and ethnicity are highlighted as people move in and out of cities. As a result of which social difference becomes prominent. When people belonging to a certain class or belief settle in specific places they become isolated from the other communities as well as within the community. Due to this some people become trapped in a certain space especially poor as they cannot cope with the changing needs of the surroundings and culture. Some people stay within certain boundaries as they feel safe and secure. They often bind themselves to their private spaces of their homes. The tension between public and private space is created which is known as the spatial distinction. This leads to the community division. 2.5 ORDER- DISORDER TENSION Cities are often threatened by disorder from below and they might be ruled by an order imposed from above. They need control and government. They are open to many forms of order and disorder from both within and beyond the city. Mixed nature of cities fills city life with tension. Intensifying communication between cities is shaping all cities of the world. Urban tension develops when people move in and out of the cities. This is due to large differences in cultures, social norms, and living conditions. 2.6 TENSION BETWEEN MOVEMENT AND SETTLEMENT "Tensions can be understood as potential interaction forces linking related urban activities, able to create flows between different locations and therefore side effects through the spatial system. (Wilson, 1987). Movement and settlement make cities exciting as well as frustrating. Long distance movement of money and people takes place through colonialism, trade, and migration. 2.7 SOCIAL MIXES LEADING TO COMMUNITY DIVISION There are different social classes, castes, and strata within a society. These might lead to lack of social mobility. The juxtaposition of various races, cultures, ages, and classes in the community can lead to ambiguity and tension due to the differences. It can lead to conflict and intolerance. 3. CONCLUSION Cities are composed of urban villagers, residential communities, and settled neighborhood. The openness of the cities has led to their dynamism. Culture, class, and religions are similar in a certain community, which is different in other communities. Development of communities leads to a collective consciousness, which adds cohesion, harmony, and continuity to a group. The sense of community develops when people care for shared interests along with self-interest. Shared opinions and values also lead to the development of the sense of citizenship in the people. Social dynamics responsible for community formation are emotional safety, sense of belongingness and shared values. The community is a shared physical place where people bind together for their living and work. The sense of place along with the sense of community stabilizes a community. Transport infrastructure can be beneficial as well as harmful to community formation. Communication systems lead to the flow of income and information, which promotes a healthy community. Global networks can harm the community formation by acquiring control over the cities and using their resources for their own benefit. Spatial configuration and segregation can be beneficial as well as destructive to the communities. Political, economic and demographic factors are involved in the spatial segmentation of communities. People may occupy a specific place for their rights and safety which can be beneficial to them in terms of safety and destructive as it would isolate them from the other communities and can lead to the underdeveloped communities. Tension is often created when people move in and out of cities or settle other cities of the world, which have different cultures. Cities are prone to numerous orders and disorders from both within and beyond the cities. Social mixes in the community can lead to community formation with people having shared interests. It can also lead to wide class differences and lack of social mobility. A social process, which inhibits community formation in a certain city, might not be so intense in the other city. Cities continuously evolve with people moving in and out of the city. Power and influence of global networks have also changed the environment of the cities making them more developed or under control of foreign forces. Thus cities are the points of interaction where there is the continuous movement of information, ideas, and finance in and out of the city leading to the evolvement of a variety of communities with a variety of cultures and clustering of people. This promotes the development of communities as increased interaction helps people to keep pace with the world. In the words of M. Scott Peck; " There can be vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability. There can be no peace and ultimately no life without community." (M. Scott Peck, 1987) BIBLIOGRAPHY Doreen Massey, John Allen, Steve Pile. (eds). 1998. Understanding Cities: City World, OU Publication. John Allen, Doreen. M, Michael Pryke. (eds). 1999. Understanding Cities: Unsettling Cities, OU Publication. Steve Pile, Christopher Brook, Gerry Mooney. (eds).1999. Understanding Cities: Unruly Cities, OU Publication. C .B, Cathy Pain. (eds). 1999. Understanding Cities: City Themes, OU Publication. 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