Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/47881

This paper considers two issues related to the sociological idea of community in theoretical and practical contexts, in order to discover the reason behind declining urban community. First, it will reflect on what community actually means, referring to and comparing the understanding of Tönnies who emphasises particularity and MacIver whose understanding implies openness. Partly employing the latter, the author then identifies three key elements of community: namely common purposes and objectives; accumulation of shared activities and experiences; and a sense of belonging, in the context of a locality where regular and collective community practice and activities are possible. Second the paper explores the issue of declining contemporary urban community. Based on the theoretical understanding of community, and considering primary and secondary data which the author has collected, it will examine an actual case of urban community building efforts of Shiroishi Ward in Sapporo, Japan. It will point out that community's openness to the individual is not sufficiently addressed in community building practice in the area while institutional networking and co-operation, which essentially implies boundaries around it, is encouraged. A confusion of community’s particularity and openness can commonly be seen in theory and in practice. The paper concludes by arguing that this is the major factor of the declining sense of contemporary urban community.