This study aims to show the significance of neighborhood community rebuilding movement, which is represented by neighborhood community movement, and to suggest tasks and prerequisites for the success of the citizen autonomy. Rebuilding community, in the process of discussion among local residents with a sense of solidarity and reciprocity, can improve the grass-root democracy and recover the true function of citizen autonomy.
Community is a group of members who collaborate with reciprocity based on shared understanding and norms. Autonomy is a part of self-governance, and addresses common issues together through organizations and institution. Participation is a critical factor on both community and autonomy.
This study is planned based on the literature review and the results of advisory meeting, and suggests theoretical background of neighborhood community and citizen autonomy, and finally, analyzes several practical cases of neighborhood communities by 4 development stages.
The development stage of community can be divided as followsㆍThe first stage is the facilitating participation, the second stage is the preserving community identity, the third stage is the semi-citizen autonomy (interaction and investment), and finally, the fourth stage is semi-group autonomy (including the representative function).
Since the function of neighborhood community may depend on the level of participation, facilitating citizen participation can be a solution for rebuilding neighborhood community. The external support using tacit knowledge cumulated by civic organizations is an important factor as well. Civic organizations should have an intermediary role in that supporting process by monitoring resident’s demands continuously and developing their ability. Professionals are needed for arranging and systemizing resident’s demands using technical terms and sentences. Furthermore, the good public participatory community building will be realized by that professionals educate residents and assist them to be a field professional. Public administration should provide plenty of chances for residents to meet together, and support those meetings. That is, administrative officers and staff should not appear in the limelight, but should establish the foundation of easy public participation. The public-private partnership is the most important factor in community building project.