comy:community

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comy:community [2025/12/06 14:40] – Dave Darbycomy:community [2026/03/26 18:33] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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-# Community+This topic is part of [[gt:community|Community & culture]]. 
 +====== Community ======
  
  
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-## What is community?+===== What is community? =====
  
 A community is a group of people who interact – usually tied to a geographical place, but not necessarily (e.g. nomadic communities; and now online communities). Humans (and in fact all primates) are social animals that have always lived in groups, from hunter-gatherer tribes and medieval villages to city neighbourhoods and business communities. A community is a group of people who interact – usually tied to a geographical place, but not necessarily (e.g. nomadic communities; and now online communities). Humans (and in fact all primates) are social animals that have always lived in groups, from hunter-gatherer tribes and medieval villages to city neighbourhoods and business communities.
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 <caption> <caption>
-All primates, including humans, evolved to live in social groups. +_All primates, including humans, evolved to live in social groups._
 </caption> </caption>
  
 </figure> </figure>
 </WRAP> </WRAP>
-### History+==== History ====
  
 Since the dawn of humanity, we’ve lived in strong communities. It’s only recently that community has deteriorated. All humans lived in hunter-gatherer bands pre-agriculture, and some hunter-gatherer tribes survive today, with extremely strong kinship ties and sharing of resources. Agriculture allowed tribes to settle in one place, after which resources could be stored, and accumulated in the hands of a few (usually an alliance between the warrior and priestly class). Wealth concentrated, empires grew, but community remained for ordinary people. Since the dawn of humanity, we’ve lived in strong communities. It’s only recently that community has deteriorated. All humans lived in hunter-gatherer bands pre-agriculture, and some hunter-gatherer tribes survive today, with extremely strong kinship ties and sharing of resources. Agriculture allowed tribes to settle in one place, after which resources could be stored, and accumulated in the hands of a few (usually an alliance between the warrior and priestly class). Wealth concentrated, empires grew, but community remained for ordinary people.
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 <caption> <caption>
-Front porches are popular in the US - they allow people to chat with passers-by.+_Front porches are popular in the US - they allow people to chat with passers-by._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 <caption> <caption>
-Streetbank - a charity enabling people to share things in their communities.+_Streetbank - a charity enabling people to share things in their communities._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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-## What are the benefits of community?+===== What are the benefits of community? =====
  
 Community is essential to human well-being. ‘You need a village to raise a child’, but you need a village (or at least a community – which could be urban) to support adults too. Well-being depends on meaningful interactions – to feel that you mean something to others; that you belong; that you have emotional connections; that you’d be missed if you left the community. Loss of community has caused a [loneliness epidemic](https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20170807/loneliness-epidemic-named-a-public-health-threat) in the West – especially among the elderly. Community is essential to human well-being. ‘You need a village to raise a child’, but you need a village (or at least a community – which could be urban) to support adults too. Well-being depends on meaningful interactions – to feel that you mean something to others; that you belong; that you have emotional connections; that you’d be missed if you left the community. Loss of community has caused a [loneliness epidemic](https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20170807/loneliness-epidemic-named-a-public-health-threat) in the West – especially among the elderly.
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 <caption> <caption>
-How to kill community: Cradley Heath High Street (West Mids) in the 1990s and now.+_How to kill community: Cradley Heath High Street (West Mids) in the 1990s and now._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 <caption> <caption>
-Banner of the [Fivehead Friendly Society](https://www.curryrivel.org.uk/news/latest-news/fivehead-friendly-society-speaks-to-us-from-past.html) (Somerset), 1865-1939+_Banner of the [Fivehead Friendly Society](https://www.curryrivel.org.uk/news/latest-news/fivehead-friendly-society-speaks-to-us-from-past.html) (Somerset), 1865-1939_
  
 </caption> </caption>
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-## What can I do?+===== What can I do? =====
  
 Real community can’t be designed from above. We have to do it ourselves. It’s about taking responsibility for doing things in your local area to build and sustain community. The instinct to be social animals can’t really be stifled – community will always try to return. We need to counter the trends that are killing it. Decentralisation and the principle of subsidiarity are key to a vibrant community, community-based economy and potentially, governance. Real community can’t be designed from above. We have to do it ourselves. It’s about taking responsibility for doing things in your local area to build and sustain community. The instinct to be social animals can’t really be stifled – community will always try to return. We need to counter the trends that are killing it. Decentralisation and the principle of subsidiarity are key to a vibrant community, community-based economy and potentially, governance.
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 <caption> <caption>
-Market traders bring character to, and help keep wealth in, the local economy.+_Market traders bring character to, and help keep wealth in, the local economy._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 </figure> </figure>
 </WRAP> </WRAP>
-### Socialise+==== Socialise ====
  
 Get to know your neighbours. Smile at people – what’s the worst that can happen? Talk to an old person – offer to dig their garden, take their dog for a walk, anything they might find difficult. Join things – a drama group, [Transition](/tran/transition) group, choir, sports club, supper club, book club, any club that takes your fancy. Get an allotment, start a local seed club, invite people to a picnic, volunteer, [build a front porch](https://qz.com/1012658/building-bridges-has-failed-to-unite-us-america-needs-to-embrace-the-front-porch-instead/) (seriously). Ceremonies, parties and festivals are good for building community. So throw a party! Here are [300 ways to share more in communities](https://www.shareable.net/how-to-share/), from _Shareable_. Get to know your neighbours. Smile at people – what’s the worst that can happen? Talk to an old person – offer to dig their garden, take their dog for a walk, anything they might find difficult. Join things – a drama group, [Transition](/tran/transition) group, choir, sports club, supper club, book club, any club that takes your fancy. Get an allotment, start a local seed club, invite people to a picnic, volunteer, [build a front porch](https://qz.com/1012658/building-bridges-has-failed-to-unite-us-america-needs-to-embrace-the-front-porch-instead/) (seriously). Ceremonies, parties and festivals are good for building community. So throw a party! Here are [300 ways to share more in communities](https://www.shareable.net/how-to-share/), from _Shareable_.
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 <caption> <caption>
-'_Flatpack democracy' in Frome, where independents have taken over the council and rejected the usual divisive party politics. Inspiring stuff._+_'_Flatpack democracy' in Frome, where independents have taken over the council and rejected the usual divisive party politics. Inspiring stuff.__
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 </WRAP> </WRAP>
  
-### Support your local economy+==== Support your local economy ====
  
 Patronise local businesses and alternatives to the corporate giants. To make it easy, we’ve collated the different ways you can obtain the essentials of life from non-corporate sources on [NonCorporate.org](https://www.noncorporate.org/). It’s a modern take on the ‘friendly society’ approach, which includes various community-based initiatives like: Patronise local businesses and alternatives to the corporate giants. To make it easy, we’ve collated the different ways you can obtain the essentials of life from non-corporate sources on [NonCorporate.org](https://www.noncorporate.org/). It’s a modern take on the ‘friendly society’ approach, which includes various community-based initiatives like:
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 <caption> <caption>
-In Preston, Lancashire, the local authority has angled procurement towards local businesses, and food provision from Lancashire farms. Other councils are following suit.+_In Preston, Lancashire, the local authority has angled procurement towards local businesses, and food provision from Lancashire farms. Other councils are following suit._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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 We all have to make a decision. Do we want to get our food, energy, clothes and consumer goods from low-quality corporate sources, probably produced by virtual slave labour, unsustainably, with tax deftly avoided, to the detriment of your community, or do you want to consume sustainably, giving your money to people who care about good food, the environment, craft skills, quality produce and their communities? Then you have to do a bit of work to find those sources and be prepared to [pay a fair price](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/how-much-should-a-loaf-of-bread-cost/). We all have to make a decision. Do we want to get our food, energy, clothes and consumer goods from low-quality corporate sources, probably produced by virtual slave labour, unsustainably, with tax deftly avoided, to the detriment of your community, or do you want to consume sustainably, giving your money to people who care about good food, the environment, craft skills, quality produce and their communities? Then you have to do a bit of work to find those sources and be prepared to [pay a fair price](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/how-much-should-a-loaf-of-bread-cost/).
  
-### Become part of your local economy+==== Become part of your local economy ====
  
 You might even take it further and start or join a local initiative, so that you don’t have to work for an organisation that sucks wealth out of your (or someone else’s) community. You might work for a local business, a [co-op](/coop/co-operatives) or not-for-profit, or become a [sole trader](/self/self-employment). That could mean [skilling yourself up](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/topics-2/) to produce something useful for your community. But be sure to support others who are doing the same. You might find the prices of artisanal goods / organic food etc. high, but you’ll be producing the same kinds of things, so you’ll be both a [consumer and a producer](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/who-can-afford-artisan-goods-for-a-truly-green-business-we-have-to-kick-the-money-habit/). You might even take it further and start or join a local initiative, so that you don’t have to work for an organisation that sucks wealth out of your (or someone else’s) community. You might work for a local business, a [co-op](/coop/co-operatives) or not-for-profit, or become a [sole trader](/self/self-employment). That could mean [skilling yourself up](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/topics-2/) to produce something useful for your community. But be sure to support others who are doing the same. You might find the prices of artisanal goods / organic food etc. high, but you’ll be producing the same kinds of things, so you’ll be both a [consumer and a producer](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/who-can-afford-artisan-goods-for-a-truly-green-business-we-have-to-kick-the-money-habit/).
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 <caption> <caption>
-You can host a [restart party](https://therestartproject.org/parties/) in your town – specialists will come along and help the public fix their broken electrical goods.+_You can host a [restart party](https://therestartproject.org/parties/) in your town – specialists will come along and help the public fix their broken electrical goods._
  
 </caption> </caption>
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-## Further resources+===== Forum ===== 
 + 
 +This topic belongs to the section [[gt:community|Community & culture]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/community). 
 + 
 +===== Further resources =====
  
 - [Association of Financial Mutuals](https://financialmutuals.org/) - promoting & supporting the mutual sector - [Association of Financial Mutuals](https://financialmutuals.org/) - promoting & supporting the mutual sector
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-## Specialists+ 
 +===== Related topics ===== 
 + 
 +- [Commoning](comg:commoning) 
 +- [Commons economy](coec:commons_economy) 
 +- [Community land trusts](clts:community_land_trusts) 
 +- [Small is beautiful](smal:small) 
 +- [Housing commons](hoco:housing_commons) 
 +- [Transition initiatives](tran:transition) 
 +- [Local currencies](lcur:local_currencies) 
 +- [ROSCAs - rotating savings & credit associations](rosc:roscas) 
 +- [Credit unions](crun:credit_unions) 
 +- [Farmers' markets / direct farm sales](farm:farmers_markets) 
 +- [Cohousing](coho:cohousing) 
 +- [Mutual credit](mucr:mutual_credit) 
 +- [Community energy](coen:community_energy) 
 +- [Self-employment](self:self-employment) 
 +- [Community-supported agriculture](csas:community-supported_agriculture) 
 + 
 +===== Specialist curators of this topic =====
  
  
  
  • comy/community.1765032042.txt.gz
  • Last modified: 2025/12/06 14:40
  • by Dave Darby