ABSTRACT
The concept of community is equally contested. Beyond the notion that community is a ‘good thing’, and imparts a warm glow to policies, there seems little consensus about what it actually means, let alone what it means for sustainable development. The continuing strength of the arguments, however, depends on finding answers to some of the further underlying questions about the links between community and poverty. The commitment to community participation in sustainable development is continued through to local government. Capacity-building has been identified in much sustainable development policy as one of the key strategies for increasing the potential for a community-driven approach to sustainable development. The way forward can be based on a new and passionate dialogue through which people can all listen to each other, learn from each other, care about each other, and care about the future of the world in which people all live.
