Introduction

The classical tradition on 'community' -derived from the nineteenth century founding fathers of sociology, has frequently been used as a means of invidious comparison with contemporarily exemplified society. It was not only the political revolutions of the late eighteenth century in America and France, but also the industrial revolution that was seen as threatening or even destroying 'community'. The old bases of social solidarity were seen as being eroded and altered with increasing industrialization. Industrial societyand its ecological derivative, the city-was seen as typified by competition and conflict, utility and contractual relationships; the 'community' in contrast-and its ecological derivative, the village, or at the most the small town-was seen as the antithesis of these. Sociologists have then frequently declared 'community' be eclipsed when speculating on-rather than analysing-the city, especially its inner parts.