ABSTRACT
The fate of community in modern urban society has also been one of the main themes in modern sociology since the days of the Chicago School. The concerns of urban sociology moved on to other issues, such as suburbia, and urban sociology itself became overshadowed by other developments in sociology. This chapter begins with the Chicago School and post-Second World War urban sociology and community studies. It then focuses on the post-Chicago School urban sociology around the work of David Harvey, Neil Smith and Mike Davis. The work of Manuel Castells and Janet Abu-Lughod is also discussed, where the focus is on the re-localization of the city by means of urban communities. The different approaches of Castells and Abu-Lughod are discussed and compared to the vision of urban degradation. The chapter provides some issues of urban empowerment in relation to community development. It concludes with a look at the relationship between community and networks.
