The Quest for Community: Social Aspects of Residential Growth

By David C. Thorns

Originally published in 1976, The Quest for Community is a wide comparative study of residential area development which discusses the key components in community formation and persistence. The actions of inhabitants as they have affected the development of the areas are studied and contrasted with the original aims of the creators, planners and others. The range is wide: from new towns to squatter settlements; from new housing estates to kibbutzim. The comparative analysis, based on several years of field work and documentary research, concentrates on social processes from which a new model of residential area development is drawn. This is an important and readable text for students of urban sociology, community studies, community work, urban geography, town planning and environmental studies.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1041276435
• ISBN13: 9781041276432
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 164 Pages