Community building

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Academic studies
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Key concepts
Affinity (sociology) Collectivism and individualism Community engagement Community cohesion Community of interest Community practice Community of practice Community of place Community service Communitarianism Community politics Group cohesiveness Group (sociology) Group dynamics Imagined community Organization Prosocial behavior Sense of community Small-group communication Sobornost Social alienation Social capital Social death Social exclusion Socialization Social rejection Social support Solidarity (sociology)
Community development
Community-based management Community building Community economic development Community development planning Community organizing
See also
Outline WikiProject Community Category:Community building Category:Community development Category:Localism (politics) Join the Community community
v t e

Community building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community among individuals within a regional area (such as a neighborhood) or with a common need or interest. It is often encompassed under the fields of community organizing, community organization, community work, and community development.

A wide variety of practices can be utilized for community building, ranging from simple events like potlucks and small book clubs, to larger–scale efforts such as mass festivals and building construction projects that involve local participants rather than outside contractors.

Activists and community workers engaged in community building efforts in industrialized nations see the apparent loss of community in these societies as a key cause of social disintegration and the emergence of many harmful behaviors. They may see building community as a means to address perceived social inequality and injustice, individual and collective well-being, and the negative impacts of otherwise disconnected and/or marginalized individuals.