EcocityContacts

We might envision the assembling of a consortium of the major foundations (Hewlett, Packard, Moore, Google, etc) on the basis of a "Central Valley agriculture/open space/new town (Califia) model where Milk Farm (and several other sites) could become prototypes of 21st Century communities, with novel design/planning criteria that could be replicated in overall concept across the Central Valley's unique biome. Consider also ManyOne as well as its affiliated partner, Community Foundation Silicon Valley, as the partners, Skoll Foundation and their Social Edge Forum is one resource similar to Omidyar’s www.Omidyar.net

20 years ago Dr. Dennis Reinhardt presented to Harvard Design School colleagues the issue of concern about the vulnerability of his family's vineyard property in NW Fresno to what was then a onslaught of unfettered development and accelerated displacement of prime agricultural lands. The response included - sketches of high density perimeter clusters of passive solar designed housing and dispersed local (neighborhood) commercial, leaving intact more than 85 % of producing vineyard lands as well as creating a "countryside focused" social matrix in support of hundreds to thousands of new residents per square mile, living on a small footprint of the land. It was a complex solution, but one that 21st Century people can now get their mind around while 20th Century folks, imbedded in tradition, said "it won't work".

Such bold concepts, presented to a consortium of foundations who have a predetermined goal of balancing and restoring the relationship between land and people, in a way that might just work.

To be sustainable we need not deprive ourselves or descend back into some pre-industrial past. One of the wonderful aspects of the Paradox vision at Arcosanti (see the Green Century Institute for more about the Paradox Conference) is that it seeks to balance technology with responsibility. The Appropriate Technology approach—involves a more thoughtful dialogue that considers the full impact of technology on our world. Technology when used properly is a way to empower people and this includes media technologies and the internet in particular. Such a project seeks a successful balance between the reality of living in a technologically advanced society while retaining an awareness of nature and living in balance with natural system.

Cultural Creatives: The Driving Force for Socially Conscious Consumerism

The sociologist Paul Ray has studied a segment of the public, which he calls the cultural creatives. People are most concerned with the present direction of our society, and they seek to be more aware of how their lifestyles affect the world around them. There is rising sense within this group that there is compelling need to redesign the built environment away from the suburbanization and the conspicuous consumerism that now dominates urban development.

The Social Container

What's needed is a protective social space that preserves our social commons. The container that Paolo Soleri speaks about in his Arcology theories is more of a way to describe an ancient cultural reality when our culture identity really mattered. Strong human bonds of trust and commitment to each other helped us to overcome our fears and dysfunctions to do great things and create significant forms. To create sustainable cities and villages we have to first and foremost rebuilt those bonds.

Industrial Ecology: Closing the Loop

The compact self-sufficient city is more practical than ever because of biomimicry. By learning how nature produces materials, we will move away from highly volatile and wasteful heat/beat/treat industrial processes. Therefore, the factories of the future will be clean and quiet, allowing their close proximity to residential, leisure, commercial and office complexes.

Practical Idealism

Let us envision a place where our ideals ate put into the context of workable solutions to create a livable urban space where residents share knowledge and talents, give time and expertise, and take responsibility for themselves, their neighbors and the planet. Through the thoughtful application of ecological design concepts, we can make a powerful statement about healing the earth and ourselves, demonstrate the power of appropriate technologies and human scale architectures that value, and uplift the human spirit in the form of the urban effect.