Community: The Structure of Belonging

Most of our communities are fragmented and at odds within themselves. What Peter Block provides in this inspiring book is an exploration of the exact way community can emerge from fragmentation. How is community built? How does the transformation occur? What fundamental shifts are involved? What can individuals and leaders do to create a place they want to inhabit?

Block helps us see how we can change the existing context of community from one of deficiencies, interests, and entitlement to one of possibility, generosity, and gifts. Questions are more important than answers in this effort, which means leadership is not a matter of style or vision but is about getting the right people together in the right way. As he explores the nature of community and the dynamics of transformation, Block outlines six conversations that create communal accountability and commitment and describes how we can design accountability and commitment and described how we can design physical spaces and structures that will themselves foster a sense of belonging.