Community and community development in resource-based areas: Operational definitions rooted in an interactional perspective

Abstract

"An understanding of community development in resource-based areas must begin with an awareness of what a community is and how it develops. In this article, I provide a conceptual foundation for operational definitions of community and community development. The proposed working definitions are grounded in sociological theory and empirical research. This endeavor is timely since so much of our social, economic, and political rhetoric makes reference to these two concepts yet fails to provide adequate interpretations for the terms." The author also gives definitive terms within the scopes of community and community development and distinguishes between development in community, development of community, task accomplishment and structure building. He emphasizes that although the terms are different, they are all needed to create progress within a community.