What is Community?
Generally, a community can be defined as a group of individuals with various attributes who are connected by social ties, share similar sentiments and engage in joint action in geographical places or environments. [1] However, according to British social anthropologist Anthony Paul Cohen, in his book titled The Symbolic Construction of Community, he further gives a deeper meaning of the term community in the following excerpt,
Community is that entity to which one belongs, greater than kinship but more immediately than the abstraction we call ‘society’. It is the arena in which people acquire their most fundamental and most substantial experience of social life outside the confines of the home. In it they learn the meaning of kinship through being able to perceive its boundaries – that is, by juxtaposing it to non-kinship; they learn ‘friendship’; they acquire the sentiments of close social association and the capacity to express or otherwise manage these in their social relationships. Community, therefore, is where one learns and continues to practice how to ‘be social’. [2]
Other than the social aspect, being in a community also means that people in the community are no ordinary strangers as more often than not, they live in the same place and therefore they know each other very well. They know each other’s routines and family members and naturally, they will share a bond and begin to care about one another. This is why they will always support each other and ensure that the community will grow positively as any effect on any person from the community will indirectly affect them as well.
One of the most pivotal human needs is to be loved. People do not like to be lonely and it comforts them when they belong to a community. Real communities ascertains that people have a sense of belonging to a network of people that they can always trust and rely on. Since people in the community tend to spend a lot of time with each other, they also share a sense of togetherness in their identity. They can all relate to each other and also identify as one since they most likely possess similar characteristics. They also tend to have standardized expectations or preferences on most matters in life. This inevitably bonds them as a group and thus, produces a strong, long lasting, and close knit community in many neighborhoods. [3]
Hence, we foresee a future at the Peninsula, where working professionals comprising of multinationals such as yourself with the same exquisite standards of living will be co-existing together in a community, which is ultimately cultivated by you and your neighbors. Given the fact that our clients commonly share the same sentiments such as having a refined taste in design, living at a central location, and a clear view of the lifestyle they desire, The Peninsula will undeniably be the most ideal community for you. If you are looking to own an affordable boutique living or an investment with solid returns, come to the sales gallery and learn about The Peninsula Private Residences today. You can contact The Peninsula Private Residences at 017 222 760 to schedule an appointment or find us on Facebook, The Peninsula Private Residences Facebook page.
[1] What Is Community? An Evidence-Based Definition for Participatory Public Health by Kathleen M. MacQueen, PhD, MPH, Eleanor McLellan, MA, David S. Metzger, PhD, Susan Kegeles, PhD, Ronald P. Strauss, PhD, Roseanne Scotti, MA, Lynn Blanchard, PhD, and Robert T. Trotter, II, PhD, published by the American Public Health Association on December 2001
[2] The Symbolic Construction of Community, by Anthony Paul Cohen, published by Ellis Horwood Ltd and Tavistock Publications Ltd in 1985
[3] What does “community” even mean? A definition attempt & conversation starter by Fabian Pfortmüller published on 21 September 2017