Toward civic visions of local communities

This article presents a new theoretical approach to the development of local systems. In this approach a special role is attributed not to local material and technological contingencies and support from the "centre," as has traditionally been the case, but to the capital inherent in human relations. The major elements of community capacity thus conceived are: residents' attachment to their place of residence, trust, the presence of multiple and heterogeneous social networks and most important-citizen participation in local affairs and problem solving oriented action. The article gives examples of western social programs which have been implemented in local communities in Poland, whose rationales are consistent with the new concept of community capacity. This concept is also compared with traditional sociological conceptualisations of local communities and the differences in the elements constituting locality yesterday and today are pointed out.