Neighborhoods. There are plenty of concrete interests between the residents, plenty of political interest especially with city hall and the constant threat of redevelopment, schools, street maintaince, police activities, etc, etc.
A neighborhood is something real, not theoretical and already has a skeleton social infrastructure, which doesn't have to be invented.
What Zizak and other observers missed was that videos coming out of London were neighbors. The so called rabble and `gangs' were probably neither. They were the young guys out of work hanging.
Those guys would show up to a neighborhood meeting especially if their parents and friends parents were there. That's what was happening in Cairo as people threw up barricades to protect their block from police, police agents, and roving groups looking for loot.
Berkeley neighborhoods are a part of the city manager's office called neighborhood associations. Their main interest is unfortunately housing and real estate values, traffic and other reactionary causes. Back in yore this was not the case. There were no formal neighborhood associations, but there were definitely informal neighborhood groups and their interests were keeping rents low, police practices, integrating schools and other progressive causes. Their endorsements were critical for local politicians and the House representative. Those organization were part of the reason we've had a string of good House of Representative members.
Anyway, carry on.
CG