Elements of a theory of local community

This essay reflects on why local communities continue to exist and spread. Why does the planet not become one place without borders? Why, instead, do we humans prefer to cluster in communities that are neither “too wide” nor “too narrow”? What characterizes today’s form of community? Why do these communities take root in places? Why, finally, are local communities a “sufficient cause” for socio-economic development? The answer to these questions is drawn from multiple strands of literature, which seek to provide coherent and complementary arguments.