Community engagement or community capture

In Sydney’s current frantic urban redevelopment scene we are hear­ing the word ‘community’ used very frequently by local residents, govern­ment agencies and developers alike – ‘community renewal’, ‘community building’, and ‘community engage­ment’ are the buzz words of the indus­try. In an apparent victory for localism and citizen participation, it seems as though nothing can happen without attending to the needs and views of the community. But despite this very few community activists feel that any progress has been made or that they can relax and wait to be engaged.