Redesign communities and cities (8 of 8)
More than half of the world’s population is living in urban areas and that number is growing rapidly. Wewill build an entire New York City every month… for 40 years! The world’s building stock will double by 2060. The design of most cities has not taken this growth into consideration. This results in too much pressure on the infrastructure (roads, sewage, housing) and also on the environment, especially pollution. Air pollution levels remain dangerously high in many parts of the world. Data from WHO (2018) shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. Updated estimations reveal an alarming death toll of 7 million people every year caused by ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution.
The rising sea level (global warmth) is a serious threat for many of these megacities, as they are mostly located on the coast. People are mainly focused on themselves and their families and they don’t care so much about the other people in their apartment building, or in their neighborhood. Communities (like earlier tribes) used to be the backbone of our society. A lack of belonging and connection increases the feeling of loneliness, of having the feeling to have to individually cope with all the challenges.
Communities and cities are up for a major redesign. I think that new cities need to be established in more climate resilient locations. These can be completely new locations as they are doing in China, South-Korea and in the Middle East or reviving existing villages that have become abandoned as people moved towards big cities. The United Nations predicts that by 2030 there will be 41 megacity clusters containing two-thirds of the world’s population. These cities, which are the economic powerhouses of the countries in which they exist, are becoming political powerhouses too. A final, overarching trend is a growing recognition that nation-states are – compared with cities – unfit for modern challenges. They have failed to deal effectively with issues arising from migration, climate change, wealth inequality and terrorism. This failure partly explains the declining faith in traditional political parties in many countries and in the value of democratic government itself. But it is also behind the riseof cities, which are much more effective at pragmatic problem-solving on issues ranging from flood management to dealing with increasing numbers of refugees.
(Re)designing cities and communities does have the advantage that you can also design a new governance system, a new operating system. As I have argued earlier , the old top-down system of governance is no longer working and also the capitalists system is showing too much signs of deterioration. Mark Bertolini, the CEO of Aetna, recently offered another, starker rationale for creating more well-paid jobs: “The survival of capitalism depends on it.” “If we don’t reinvent the capitalist model, we will lose it because it will be changed for us. ” He is hardly alone in raising this prospect. Worry is mounting among top executives that the nation’s economic system may be at risk if more of corporate America can’t move beyond its single-minded focus on “maximizing shareholder value.” With income inequality at historic highs, they say, it is incumbent on business to help spread prosperity. Over the past 40 years, by contrast, real wages for the vast majority of workershave stagnated.Bertolini, for his part, envisions “death by a thousand cuts.” Yet he has taken notice of polling, which has shown that a majority of young people now support socialism over capitalism. “That’s sort of a scary statistic,” he says.
A complete overhaul of society’s operating system can be piloted in new communities. It is unrealistic to expect the old guard to change. They will cling to their position as long as possible. Their stake in the financial, economic and social status-quo is too big.
We are used to have this top-down structure of Countries – Cities – Companies. Now we can flip this into a bottom-up approach: Citizens - Communities – Companies – Cities – Countries – Cyberspace - Climate.
You don’t have to start from scratch, there are already initiatives popping up all over the world. Here are some examples:
- One of the most successful initiatives are Transition Towns. Transition is a movement that has been growing since 2005. It is about communities stepping up to address the big challenges they face by starting local. By coming together, they are able to crowd-source solutions. They seek to nurture a caring culture, one focused on supporting each other, both as groups or as wider communities
- Resilient plan B (The future of green living) is a high-end initiative. It’s mission is to develop above average, resilient, sustainable communities around the world for those eager to maintain personal safety and secure abundance of organically grown food for their families.
- Saudi Arabia understands that their dependence on fossil fuels is a liability. So, they are developing a new city, Neom. The Saudi Crown Prince announced in 2017 plans to build a new city on the Red Sea coast, promising a lifestyle not available in today’s Saudi Arabia as he seeks to remake the kingdom in a time of dwindling resources.
- Marinaledain Spain is at the opposite end, and has a much more accessible and egalitarian approach.
- Italy has some villages that have become immigration villages. Previously many of its inhabitants have emigrated, so many houses are empty. Now immigrants are setting up a new life in those communities. Have a look at Riaceand Camini.
- There is even a new nation, Liberland, that is being established. Liberland, officially the Free Republic of Liberland, is a micronation claiming an uninhabited parcel of disputed land on the western bank of the Danube, between Croatia and Serbia. Liberland is currently looking for people who have respect for other people and respect the opinions of others, regardless of their race, ethnicity, orientation, or religion, have respect for private ownership which is untouchable, and have not been punished for past criminal offences.
- The Future Project is building a movement to turn schools across the US into places that unlock the passion and purpose of everyone inside them.
A redesign or renaissance is needed to prevent a revolution. To stop society’s unsustainable demand for ever-more resources, we need to decentralize and localize our economy. Combining the new ledger technology (e.g. Blockchain) with Universal Basic Income (UBI) may be the way to make that happen.The difference is that where revolutions tend to simply replace one elite group with another, a renaissance reintroduces existing ideas into a new context. A renaissance may inspire revolutions. The main event is not a moment of change but a deep and broad process of re-visioning. Where revolutions typically attempt to reform an existing paradigm, a renaissance can transcend the paradigm.
A redesign can only happen if we change ourselves first. People-centric cities and communities need a flying out lifeset.A prerequisite for changing the world, is changing yourself first. Like Leo Tolstoy said: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. “ To sustain your flying out lifeset it is crucial to have a community of likeminded individuals who support and stretch you.
Redesign communities and cities
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Substitute society’s operating system
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Initiate bottom-up innovation
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Connect to collaborate
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Care for common good
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What is next?
That question was relatively easy to answer a few years ago. Change was linear and you could easily extrapolate into the future. That approach is no longer working, especially when we look at the exponential changes in technology. What is clear however is that careers (e.g. being a financial specialist all of your working life) and jobs will diminish. Definitely the name of the game is change. If you want to be and stay employable you have to embody the flying out lifeset. If you learn to learn and do that fast, you will be okay. These are exciting times, there is so much work that needs to be done to build a better future and you can contribute. I would even say you have to contribute to shape your own future. You can do it and you have the means to do so. It is a trillion dollar opportunity, as shown by Nilofer Merchant as well as Gary Hamel. What are you waiting for? You are invited to join the Extraordinarians!
We need Extraordinarians to design and implement gamechanging ways of learning, living and working in (new) cities. Would you like to be part of this innovative force for good? Would you like to contribute?
The New Renaissance
Being an innovative force for good
The Renaissance was a time of "coming out of the dark". It was a rebirth of education, science, art, literature, music, and a better life for people in general.
The New Renaissance that we design together, cherishes people’s uniqueness, thereby replacing the ‘cogs in a machine’ approach of the Industrial Age. Much of the routine (and tedious) work will be done by automation, robots and Artificial Intelligence. This will free up people for more exciting, imaginative work and study. There will be a prominent place for exploration of the humanities (music, literature, languages, philosophy, history and the creative arts). The emphasis will be on fulfilling one’s potential in a conscious way. People’s uniqueness will drive the need for personalization of life’s essentials (learning – working – sustenance). At the same time, we will fully align and connect with nature. We will care for the planet instead of using it as an unlimited resource.
The New Renaissance will be a time of flourishing for every living being. It is the time to be an Extraordinarian. An Extraordinarian is the infinite version of himself/herself as well as a conscious creator of societal wellbeing.
