Charles van der Haegen's List: Cities for Good

"DDeS Conference
February 7 2014
Harvard Graduate School of Design

Download Conference Poster
Download Conference Brochure
Watch the Conference in Live-streaming

During the last two decades, the concept of urban metabolism, has been subject to both extensive empirical research and, increasingly, critical discussion within the natural and social sciences. Aiming to grasp the continuous processes of energy, material and population exchange within and between cities and their extensive hinterlands, urban metabolism promises a systematic assessment of the complex socio-environmental interdependencies associated with the continuous human occupation of the earth."

"Liège en pleine terre !catl-logo

Citoyens, mangeurs, agriculteurs, distributeurs, artisans-transformateurs, restaurateurs, acheteurs groupés, acteurs associatifs sociaux et culturels, entrepreneurs d’économie sociale, mandataires publics et conseillers, ingénieurs, ouvriers ou jardiniers, ceci est pour vous !

La relocalisation de l’économie agricole autour de Liège est au coeur de l’initiative Ceinture Aliment-Terre. Emploi, formation, diffusion de techniques agroécologiques, accès à la terre, distribution en circuits courts, artisanat de transformation et restauration collective, économie solidaire et coopérative, réduction de la dépendance au pétrole, participation et épargne citoyenne : ces enjeux et d’autres encore seront à prendre en compte pour imaginer un Liège durable et désirable pour l’avenir.

Quelle alimentation voulons-nous dans dix ans, vingt ans, trente ans ? D’où viendra-t-elle, qui la fabriquera, dans quelles conditions de travail, au profit de qui ? Avec quel impact sur la biodiversité et le climat ? Pour quelle société ? Voici quelques-unes des questions qui motivent le déploiement d’une Ceinture aliment-terre.

Vous avez, vous aussi, des questions ; mais aussi : des ressources, des envies, des projets, des actions en germe ou déjà bien mûries. Des lieux sont ouverts pour les partager :

> le 5 novembre 2013 : une grande soirée de lancement, informative, inspirante et interactive !

> le 6 novembre 2013 : un Forum Ouvert, pour ensemble préparer concrètement un futur désirable à partir de vos questions et propositions !

Inscrivez-vous à la journée du 6 novembre !

Entre-temps, visitez et faites vivre ce site, découvrez les Partenaires et prenez contact avec eux pour poser vos questions, proposer, vous impliquer dans le processus Ceinture aliment-terre

Toutes les infos sur http://www.catl.be/"

"We’re a Community of 500,000 changemakers worldwide, working to build a more healthy and just planet. Together, we believe it's possible to create a society based on better not more, sharing not selfishness, community not division. We invite you to be inspired by and share our movies, participate in our study programs, and take part in our campaigns on the issues you care about.
Our History

In December 2007, Annie Leonard and her friends at Free Range Studios put a 20-minute movie about the way we make, use, and throw away Stuff on the internet, unleashing a torrent of pent-up demand for honest conversation about the impacts of our consumer-crazed culture on people and the planet. In the five years since The Story of Stuff was released, Annie’s ‘cartoon about trash’ has been viewed more than 30 million times worldwide.

Annie responded to viewers’ thirst for more information and ways to get involved by founding The Story of Stuff Project in 2008. Since then, we’ve responded to our Community by releasing a best-selling book, co-creating a high school-level educational curricula called Buy, Use, Toss, developing a study program for faith communities, and launching a hope-filled podcast series called The Good Stuff that chronicles the efforts of everyday changemakers.

And yes, we’ve also created a series of new online movies! Season One -- The Story of Bottled Water, The Story of Cosmetics and The Story of Electronics -- used everyday consumer products to take a deeper look at where our Stuff comes from and where it goes when we throw it away. When our Community asked to go deeper, we created Season Two—The Story of Citizens United v. FEC, The Story of Broke and The Story of Change—which examines the underlying roots of our unsustainable production and consumption patterns: what makes the system tick, who pays, who benefits and how can we turn it around.

Now, having helped millions around the world understand and talk about the Story of Stuff, we’ve begun a collaborative pursuit of Solutions with the nearly 500,000 worldwide members of our Community. In 2013, we are launching our first, Community-generated and fueled campaigns to reduce plastic pollution, grow the sharing economy and end political corruption. And in late 2013, we’ll be offering Community members an innovative online Boot Camp aimed at helping them strengthen and flex their citizen muscles."

"Let’s Gro

Op 21 en 22 november zindert Groningen met Let’s Gro, een inspiratiefestival over de toekomst van de stad. De ontdekking van Groningen organiseert tijdens dit festival een aantal sessies.

21 november Gunter Pauli over “The Blue Economy” (Aanmelden niet nodig)

20.00 – 21.30 lokatie: Studium Generale (RUG), Oude Boteringestraat 13 Groningen

Gunter Pauli (1956) studeerde economie in België en behaalde zijn MBA aan Insead. Hij begon zijn carriere als wetenschappelijk assistent van de Club van Rome. Zijn professionele leven als ondernemer, auteur en adviseur staat in het teken van duurzaamheid. Niet alleen ecologisch, maar ook sociaal en vooral economisch. Alleen ‘groen’ is niet voldoende. Zijn stelling is dat we te weinig gebruik maken van aanwezige materialen of afval. Hij ondersteunt ondernemers over de hele wereld bij het realiseren van duurzame doelstellingen. Hij gelooft sterk in de regionale aanpak én dat duurzaam ook inhoudt dat je geld verdient, liefst via meerdere cashflows. Die aanpak noemt hij ‘The Blue Economy‘

Dit is een lezing van Gunter Pauli. Aanmelden is niet nodig, vol=vol dus kom op tijd.

22 november 13.30 – 17.00 uur Ontdekking van Groningen (Meld je aan!)
met Gunter Pauli, Jan Rotmans en Aard Groen. Engbert Breuker heeft drie bijzondere gasten tijdens deze dialoog.

dialoogderduurzaamheidGunter Pauli is internationaal wetenschapper en bedenker van The Blue Economy (zie voor details hierboven). [volg Gunter Pauli op Twitter]
Jan Rotmans is professor Transitiekunde en ontwikkelt in Nederland vele initiatieven op duurzaam gebied. [volg Jan Rotmans op Twitter]
Aard Groen is professor Innovatief Ondernemerschap aan de RUG. [volg Aard Groen op Twitter]"

"Terug van weggeweest. Niet enkel van een onder-de-radar-periode (want we zijn uiteraard nooit echt gestopt met bezig zijn met zwammen) maar ook van een zéér interessant zwammen-evenement in Amsterdam, waar ik blij was een heel aantal enthousiaste mensen te ontmoeten die op kleine schaal maar wél professioneel zwammen willen kweken. Het ‘Mushroom Learning Network’ is een initiatief van de Blue Economy, ondersteund door RotterZwam (ooit nog cursisten bij mij) en Ivanka Milenkovic van Ekofungi in Servië. Ook GandaZwam werkt hieraan mee, om actief beginnende ondernemers te steunen, met raad en daad, bij het uitbouwen van hun zwammen-onderneming. Ik heb dus een paar intense weken voor de boeg, ook al omdat het zwammenseizoen écht wel volop aan de gang is daarbuiten :)

Voorlopig dus nog steeds geen tijd voor introductie-workshops, maar serieus geïnteresseerden kunnen nog steeds contact opnemen voor intensieve workshops of advies op maat via de gekende email of het contactformulier.

Goede kweek, iedereen!"

"How do we move from conscious customer consumption to collective action? On the next Your Call we’ll speak with Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé about the connection between food, climate, and consumption. Forty-two years after the publication of France’s Moore Lappé's bestselling book “Diet for a Small Planet,” what have we learned about our food system? What’s gotten worse? And what’s improved? What will it take to make real changes to the food system? Join the conversation on the next Your Call, with Rose Aguilar, and you."

"Minister-president Rutte en de Vlaamse minister-president Peeters hebben vandaag in Maastricht gesproken over het versterken van de economische banden tussen Nederland en Vlaanderen.

Bij het overleg waren ook minister Kamp van Economische Zaken, minister Schultz van Haegen van Infrastructuur en Milieu en hun Vlaamse collega’s minister Lieten van Innovatie, Overheidsinvesteringen, Media en Armoedebestrijding en minister Crevits van Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken aanwezig."

"It often seems like federal-level politicians care more about creating gridlock than solving the world's problems. So who's actually getting bold things done? City mayors. So, political theorist Benjamin Barber suggests: Let's give them more control over global policy. Barber shows how these "urban homeboys" are solving pressing problems on their own turf -- and maybe in the world.

Benjamin Barber believes that the future of the world may lie with the politicians who implement practical change every day: mayors. Full bio »"

"The City 2.0 website is a platform created to surface the myriad stories and collective actions being taken by citizens around the world. We draw on the best of what is already being discovered by urban advocates and add grassroots movers and shakers into the mix. What's emerging is a complex picture of the future city--a place more playful, more safe, more beautiful, and more healthy for everyone. "

"The ongoing economic challenges in many parts of the industrialized world are drivers of a paradigm shift: governments, companies and individuals are all becoming aware that although sustainable development incurs costs, it also offers considerable economic potential. This topic: “Economy of Sustainable Construction” is the focus of the 4th International Holcim Forum for Sustainable Construction, to be held in Mumbai, India, from April 11 to April 13, 2013.

The Holcim Forum is a three-day conference including workshops and site visits. It is open to academics and professionals from architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, natural and social sciences, as well as representatives from business, politics, administration and civil society.

The Holcim Forum is hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay), and will be chaired by architect Mohsen Mostafavi, Dean of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, USA, together with co-chair, engineer Battula K. Chakravarthy, IIT Bombay. The event is comprised of keynote lectures from leading experts, four workshops including focused excursions, a research poster exhibition, and concluding panel discussions.
"

"Le but de l'EAUTARCIE

Le système EAUTARCIE constitue un ensemble de techniques complémentaires pour la gestion durable de l'eau dans le monde. En examinant les propositions formulées sur ce site, le lecteur découvrira que la voie vers la maîtrise des changements climatiques passe par la gestion conjointe de l'eau et de la biomasse. L'élimination des problèmes d'eau dans le monde n'est, dans les faits, que le «sous-produit», la conséquence de cette démarche. La mise en place d'un tel programme mondial relève de la compétence des décideurs économiques et politiques. L'individu n'y a que peu de prise.

Notre but premier est de donner l'information à ceux qui ont le pouvoir de décider de l'avenir de cette belle planète bleue. Après les scénarios catastrophes dont le public est gavé par les médias, EAUTARCIE est un message d'espoir. Il est navrant de voir qu'en dehors de l'inventaire de la dégradation, aucune solution n'est esquissée pour sortir de l'impasse. Nous disons haut et fort: l'humanité peut sortir de cette voie qui mène vers la destruction de notre cadre de vie. La nouvelle voie est tracée, mais il est temps de prendre les bonnes décisions à l'échelle mondiale, mais aussi à l'échelle individuelle.

La partie pratique du site EAUTARCIE s'adresse aux individus pour les aider à prendre les bonnes décisions. Ce qui est merveilleux sur le chemin vers un monde durable, est que les solutions proposées ne remettent pas en question notre confort moderne, elles sont plus simples, plus fiables et coûtent moins cher que les techniques actuellement imposées. Elles garantissent aussi une meilleure gestion de notre santé. Elles ont cependant un «défaut grave»: elles remettent en question la gestion centralisée, bien de monopoles et génèrent moins de bénéfices à l'industrie qui élimine la pollution. Cependant, sans s'engager sur la voie proposée ici, pour certains, la tentation est grande d'utiliser l'eau comme moyen de chantage dans le but d'augmenter leur pouvoir. On note d'ailleurs que l'obstacle majeur devant l'extension des techniques basées sur la prévention des problèmes à la source, est la législation actuelle qui privilégie les techniques de réparation et de destruction. La plupart des techniques proposées sur le site EAUTARCIE sont actuellement marginalisées voire interdites.

Il est urgent de stopper l'usage des techniques de destruction massive de la biomasse comme l'épuration des eaux urbaines, la valorisation énergétique de la biomasse (pellets de bois, biométhane, biocarburants, etc.) et la production agricole basée sur les spéculations financières.

Les techniques proposées ici, comme la valorisation intégrale de l'eau de pluie (système PLUVALOR), peuvent se placer dans n'importe quelle habitation, tandis que d'autres, relatives au traitement des eaux usées (système TRAISELECT), se placeront près des habitations disposant d'un jardin d'au moins 100 m². Cependant, les concepts de base de l'EAUTARCIE sont transposables mêmes aux centres urbains. Dans un avenir, qu'on espère de proche, on construira des quartiers urbains équipés de ce système. On montre aisément que ces nouveaux quartiers, intégrant la gestion durable de l'eau, cesseront de polluer les eaux et auront une pression réduite sur nos réserves hydriques. Jusqu'à présent, les tentatives faites par des particuliers ou des groupements d'individus en ce sens ont essuyé le refus catégorique des autorités compétentes. Même pour des réalisations modestes et à titre expérimental.

Les techniques présentées sont le résultat de plus de 20 années de recherches scientifiques universitaires, testées sur le terrain aussi bien en Afrique qu'en Europe. Le présent site a pour objectif d'informer, sans la moindre prétention commerciale."

"Tomorrow, urban wastewater treatment plants will be more than just decontamination factories. They will also produce a wide scope of resources, from water reused for human needs to green energy, bioplastics or even mineral components. Wastewater treatment will be a key issue in the development of a green economy: researchers will be able to combine biotechnologies, biochemistry and microbiology with chemical engineering and applied mathematics."

"Hello, and thank you for popping in. citiesforpeople.net is a small, but growing, site with stories of cities for people and how we can make them.
So what is a city for people?

Great examples are cities that you may know, such as: Malmo, Portland, and Bogotá. A city for people thinks about how it can improve its environment, strengthen its economy, and enrich its culture. It also considers its impact on people outside the city, and our future children and grandchildren.

Most of all, it is a city that people like you and me would choose to live in.
What does a city for people look like?

You would recognise a city for people quickly, because of the number of parks, cycle paths, and excellent public transport. You would not see unnecessary waste, too many cars, or lots of air pollution. You would probably see a move towards renewable energy, a great culture, and a strong economy.

And you would see many people who adore their city.
What about sustainable cities or ecocities?

Have you heard similar terms such as a sustainable city or an ecocity? To move our cities torwards the sustainable city or ecocity, I think we need to make our cities for people.

The idea of a city for people has proven to be very successful in changing cities for the better. Both Jaime Lerner and Enrique Peñalosa, former mayors of Curitiba and Bogotá respectively, described the vision of their cities as “a city for people, not for cars”.

And this vision has seen possibly the two best transformations of cities in modern times.
What about you?

Is your city a city for people? Do you have inspiring stories to share with others? Or would you like to read stories for inspiration, to help you change your city?

If yes, then please have a look around. And please do leave some comments on any of the articles on my blog."

"


Building a smarter planet is an IBM-sponsored blog intended to provide readers with a place to talk about the issues raised within the content. It is our hope that you will feel compelled to share some of the things you see, read and hear on this blog with your friends, family and peers. This blog is not going to deliver final answers to the issues raised, but we hope it acts as a starting point for conversations about how we can help make our planet smarter. All postings represent the opinions of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies, or opinions. Contributors are not paid for their postings, although IBM employees are compensated by IBM as employees."

"The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs, is a greatly influential book on the subject of urban planning in the 20th century. First published in 1961, the book is a critique of modernist planning policies claimed by Jacobs to be destroying many existing inner-city communities.

Reserving her most vitriolic criticism for the "rationalist" planners (specifically Robert Moses) of the 1950s and 1960s, Jacobs argued that modernist urban planning rejects the city, because it rejects human beings living in a community characterized by layered complexity and seeming chaos. The modernist planners used deductive reasoning to find principles by which to plan cities. Among these policies the most violent was urban renewal; the most prevalent was and is the separation of uses (i.e. residential, industrial, commercial). These policies, she claimed, destroy communities and innovative economies by creating isolated, unnatural urban spaces.

In their place Jacobs advocated for "four generators of diversity", writing on page 151, "The necessity for these four conditions is the most important point this book has to make. In combination, these conditions create effective economic pools of use."

Mixed uses.
Short blocks.
Buildings of various ages & states of repair.
Density.

Her aesthetic can be considered opposite to that of the modernists, upholding redundancy and vibrancy, against order and efficiency. She frequently cites New York City's Greenwich Village as an example of a vibrant urban community. The Village, like many similar communities, may well have been preserved, at least in part, by her writing and activism. The book also played a major role in the urban development of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where Jacobs was involved in the campaign to stop the Spadina Expressway.[1]

The book continues to be Jacobs' most influential, and is still widely read by both planning professionals and the general public. Urban theorist Lewis Mumford, while finding fault with her methodology, encouraged Ja

The first chapter of what is for me a fundamental book that complements our learning here, and hints at how Social Media might contribute to creating a better World.

The article elaborates on how new Social Theory brings new perspectives to finding and implementing solutions to the intractable problems of our time.

These ideas originally developped by Mary Douglas, an antropologist, and have been further refined and developped into a fully integrated Social Theory, called Theory of Socio-Cultural Viability, anso sometimes called "Cultural Theory". The lead researcher in this field is Michael Thompson, co-author of this book and chapter.

Here are some highlights I have jotted down:

Why do well-intended attempts to alleviate pressing social ills too often derail?

How can effective and efficient and broadly acceptable solutions to social problems be found?

By making sure no voices are excluded. Contrary to the ideas on which current social thinking is based, new research has lead to new theory explaining social systems, showing how deliberative quality is key to sustainable policy-making and implementation.

It shows that endlessly changing and complex social worlds consist of ceaseless interactions between four mutually opposed organizing, justifying and perceiving social relations. Each time one of these perspectives is excluded from collective decision-making, governance failure inevitably results.

Successful solutions are therefore creative combinations of four opposing ways of organizing and thinking. They always seem clumsy compared to any of the 4 voices’ elegant solutions. Yet being broadly acceptable to all they are sustainable and implementable

A new way to look at pluralism in organizations, institutions, policy-making, democracy, technology, geo-politics and many other social fields is offered to us by multidisciplinary research and practice by leading political scientists, anthropologists, economists, lawyers, sociologists, geographers, engineers, policy-makers, and other leaders in society.

I bounced upon this series in the blogpost of Antonio Lopez ' greening a digital media course" http://newmedialiteracies.org/blog/2011/05/greening-a-digital-media-cours.php
The lessig epiode there is entitled "Green Culture"
What strikes me most in this 40 min presentation is his conclusion: You can work on any intractable problem of our world, it will not be solved unless we solve the problem at the roots of all these problems: the corruption of our democratic suystems provoked by the dependency of our governance bodies on money.
This leads me to reinforce my belief that our fight for giving a more pre-eminent place to the Theory for socio-cultural viability is worthwhile, since this precisely shows that "closed hegemonies" meaning exclusion of solidarities in problem definition and solution design and implementing don't allow the social systems in which they appear to remain viable and dynnamic...
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root" Henry David Thoreau

Transition Network helps communities deal with climate change and shrinking supplies of cheap energy (peak oil). This process, which we call Transition, aims to create stronger, happier communities.

Read more about what Transition Network does, or dive straight into what the communities are up to.

(photo: Tooting Trashcatchers Carnival, Transition Tooting, Credit Lucy Neal)

"Earth Island Institute is a non-profit, public interest, membership organization that supports people who are creating solutions to protect our shared planet. "
For 25 years, Earth Island Institute has been a hub for grassroots campaigns dedicated to conserving, preserving, and restoring the ecosystems on which our civilization depends.

Our Project Support program acts as an incubator for start-up environmental projects, giving crucial assistance to groups and individuals with new ideas for promoting ecological sustainability. Since our founding, we have provided fiscal sponsorship to more than 100 projects around the globe.

In addition to our project support work, we also inform and inspire people to take action through our award-winning quarterly magazine, Earth Island Journal, our New Leaders Initiative, and our Restoration Initiative. The Journal balances investigative exposés with inspiring stories of change, giving people the information they need be effective environmental activists. Our New Leaders Initiative hosts the annual Brower Youth Awards, which highlights the amazing accomplishments of young people working for sustainability and provides emerging leaders with mentoring resources. Our Restoration Initiatives funds community-based coastal protection and wetland restoration efforts in Southern California.

By sharing resources, Earth Island’s network of grassroots leaders benefit from the synergistic exchange of experience and ideas, making its members more effective together than they could ever be apart. We currently serve as the fiscal sponsor for more than 40 groups, including Baikal Watch, Energy Action, Ethical Traveler, Fiji Organic Project, International Marine Mammal Project, Reef Protection International, Sacred Land Film Project, and Women’s Earth Alliance, among others. Successful Earth Island Institute alumni projects include International Rivers, Rainforest Action Network, and Bluewater Network.

Our model for assisting campaigns addresses one of the environmental movement’s historic

"The competition between water and energy needs represents a critical business, security, and environmental issue, but has not yet received the attention that it merits. Energy production consumes significant amounts of water; providing water, in turn, consumes energy. In a world where water scarcity is a major and growing challenge, meeting future energy needs depends on water availability –and meeting water needs depends on wise energy policy decisions.

Nations around the world are evaluating their energy options and developing policies that apply appropriate financial carrots and sticks to various technologies to encourage sustainable energy production, including cost, carbon, and security considerations. Water needs to be part of this debate, particularly how communities will manage the trade-offs between water and energy at the local, national, and cross-border levels. These decisions will impact businesses, investors, security, environment, justice, development, and sustainability. Policy makers, business leaders, investors, non-governmental organizations, and the public at large need sound, non-partisan information to make the right choices.

Now—as new energy policies are emerging– is the window of opportunity to add water to the agenda."