Sociological Methods & Research · 1974 · 57 citations · 9 references
Social SciencesSociologyCommunity AssessmentRural SociologyUrban SociologyCommunity StructureNeighborhood AnalysisAggregationCommunity Boundary DelimitationPlace BoundariesSociological Model
Community boundaries have been defined by Kaufman (1959) and Sutton‑Kolaja (1960a, 1960b), yet empirical methods that simultaneously address boundary delineation and interaction aggregation are scarce. The study develops empirical techniques to locate community boundaries based on these conceptualizations. The authors combine a sociological definition of community with residents’ perceptions, collecting data from business, education, and government leaders in ten rural Illinois counties and applying conditional‑probability matrices to identify boundaries. The methods show that township boundaries generally align with community boundaries, indicating that the techniques are broadly applicable for identifying community and other boundaries.
Utilizing the Kaufman (1959) and Sutton-Kolaja (1960a, 1960b) conceptualization of community, empirical techniques are developed to identify community boundaries. These techniques are unique because they allow simultaneous consideration of boundary and interaction aggregation problems. A sociological conceptualization of community is coordinated with layman respondent's perceptions so empirical data, faithful to both perspectives, may be gathered from community residents. Community boundaries are identified from conditional probability matrices applied to residents identified as business, education, and government leaders in ten rural areas of Illinois. Township boundaries regularly coincide with community boundaries. Techniques developed here appear widely applicable to identifying community and other boundaries.
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Definitions of community : Areas of Agreement
George A. Hillery · Rural Sociology · 1955 · 1K citations
Toward an Interactional Conception of Community
Harold F. Kaufman · Social Forces · 1959 · 275 citations
Conrad M. Arensberg · American Journal of Sociology · 1954 · 82 citations