Community computing and citizen productivity

This article is about the development of a community network in an Atlanta, Georgia, neighborhood. The project was a long-term effort using community-based design with the goal of helping a community use information technologies to enhance more effectively the life of the community. The argument is about designing information technology tools in community contexts, developing new models of research for community-based work, and about the critical importance of engaging in community-based work that can be sustained over time. The argument also focuses on the necessity of designing community networks that both recognize the productive power and expertise of community residents as well as allow for productive practices to be developed and used in the future.