ABSTRACT
The socio-technical complexity of work organization in US society and the pace of technological change and global competition demand new patterns of political, social, economic, community, and industrial organization. While the US Government is faced with the responsibility of designing democratic foundations for economic and work opportunities, it is the human factors and ergonomics professions that must define, design and improve systems of work and social organizations. Failure to view work as the primary determinant of the human condition and as defining the adaptive status of individuals and groups to guide the overall structure of society, may be the fundamental basis of environmental disorder and chaos confronting the US City (Smith 1962). Community ergonomics as a scientific design practice is field-tested and grounded in practical research to redress matters of striking urban poverty. The problems of low self regulatory control, lack of community-environment fit, societal isolation and dependency on government social programs have created a segment of community members who are in extremely dire circumstances.
