Community is a major preoccupation for many people. In some cases, the nature of community is a response to a sense of its loss (whether, in fact, it was ever there or not). Obviously, "community" and "common" are related - community is about what is shared.
Common values
But what values? Will any values do? Can communities exist and thrive on values such as individuality?
Common history
Common "mythology": The stories we tell that construct the place
Tradition: this is more than just the stories we tell. It also refers to the habits we hold, the things we are willing to not question, for the most part. Is community possible in a modern age, when everything is up for question?
Naming: Names create. They bring together disparate elements into a coherent whole. Names point not only to a shared and meaningful past, but to a sense of identity.
Shared ways of planning or decision-making
Commonly held symbolic or ritual markers, places, items, or events
So what diminishes community for people?