The Mediate Community

Abstract

The author emphasizes the importance of studying both local and extralocal social ties found in community areas of the metropolis. Knowledge of temporal trends in these ties is limited, but both are important in the metropolis, leading to the mediate community: communities that often have many endogenous ties but also have strong links to the larger world. The author also suggests that local and extralocal ties should be subdivided on the basis of whether they are instrumental or expressive. Using data from previous community studies, the author illustrates possible relationships of local and extralocal social ties to community culture, including efforts to protect the community.