Say the word community and it still brings to mind thoughts of people with something in common who identify with each other as a group and usually as a neighborhood. But this week, the meaning of community is being stretched in exciting new directions.

Chris Kelly suggests that what we need to solve big problems are big communities - what he calls Megacommunities. They are working partnerships of business, government and nonprofits that are tackling issues in Harlem, East Biloxi, and worldwide. Chris is co-author of .

Eric Gordon is using a virtual community in Second Life to engage citizens in planning major projects in the real community of Boston. Eric is a researcher interested in the areas of new media and American urbanism. He is the co-founder of Hub2, an organization that employs virtual world technology to enhance the community engagement process around urban development.

We'll explore these new meanings of community this week on Smart City.