A few months ago, I put together a working paper for an acquaintance at a Foundation (I was semi applying for a job, I guess). This working paper is a collection of ideas about communities, how we should conceptualize them, and how we can build them. I haven't really heard any chatter back from them, so I figured it'd be fine to share. It's by no means final (there are probably copy edits needed), but coherent enough to have a conversation about.

The draft is located here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/132613580/On-Community

I'd love to hear your ideas and criticisms. In case you want something to orient you, these paragraphs explain the document:

What is this document?

These notes are an attempt to create an integrated point of view about community and community engagement, specifically in Detroit. The views are my own (i.e., not representative of my company), but these ideas have certainly been informed and shaped by many other people, books, articles, in addition to my own experiences and experiments.

I’ve tried to leave out forays into tangential topics as much as possible, for brevity’s sake (though I suppose this memo is by no means “brief”).
That being said, please let me know if additional detail in any of the areas would be interesting or helpful.

Cheers.