Abstract
As might be imagined, the critique of realism at the core of community-based planning extends to the study of communities. In fact, an entirely new methodology has emerged from the community-based philosophy. This novel style of conducting research, however, is part of an on-going debate in the social sciences; i.e., should social investigators and planners adopt the model advanced by the natural or cultural sciences? Nonetheless, in a crucial way, community-based research goes beyond both of these traditions.
