No subject

Tue Sep 2 15:03:27 CEST 2014

CONTENTS

   - Housing without building
   - On regarding the pain of the planet - a reader
   - Forthcoming events

HOUSING WITHOUT BUILDING

The family of swallows that spent the summer in the eaves behind my office
here in France have headed south for the winter. Soon, as Christmas
beckons, they=E2=80=99ll reach their destinations: Botswana, Namibia or Sou=
th
Africa. After just two months gorging on insects, they=E2=80=99ll begin the=
 epic
journey back. The strongest among them will make it back in just five
weeks, traveling 200 miles a day.

And I thought my air travel was profligate.

As an artefact, the swallows=E2=80=99 nest is not exactly the Taj Mahal. It=
=E2=80=99s a
ramshackle structure, made of mud pellets and straw, stuck crookedly to the
wall. But it seems to suit them well - or rather, the surrounding habitat
does. Their physical abode is a safe enough place to park their young - but
it=E2=80=99s not a gated community. What brings the swallows back every yea=
r is not
their house but the surrounding environment as whole: open air for easy
flight; fresh water from the river; flying insects to feed their ravenous
young. I have come to envy how lightly they manage to live. We humans burn
through billions of tons of resources to support our our own structures and
lifestyles. Swallows throw their nests together from found materials.

Preoccupied by swallows, I posed the following question last month to a
meeting of Nordic Housing Association managers: Do we really need to build
more boxes? Is it beyond our creativity to provide our fellow humans with
shelter and sustenance without covering more of the world in concrete?

To be candid, I did not expect an easy ride from this group of experts.
They have a ton of financial, legal and political issues to deal with in
managing 2.4 million housing units across the Nordic countries. In the
event, I was surprised: Many of these housing professionals shared my
concern at the baleful influence of the Real Estate Industrial Complex.
Manufacturing boxes may be good for GDP and construction firms, some
agreed, but we can surely meet the social need for shelter in ways that
that improve the habitat, not wreck it.

We discussed how to re-use the millions of empty buildings out there
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/locality-place/the-ecozoic-city/>: the
potential of food hubs
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/infrastructure-design/food-as-a-commons/>
to improve a community=E2=80=99s health; the need for a micro-brewery in ev=
ery
neighbourhood
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/food-systems-design/shoe-town-to-brew-tow=
n/>;
the benefits of pollinator pathways through built-up areas; the potential
of de-paving <http://depave.org/> to improve a town=E2=80=99s porosity to r=
ain; how
citizen action is improving the health of rivers, creeks and watersheds;
how to de-motorise the movement of freight
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/notopic/caloryville-the-two-wheeled-city/=
>
through towns and cities.

This regenerative concept of place development was in stark contrast to a
newsletter I received this morning. It announced that =E2=80=9C60% of the a=
rea
projected to be urban in 2030 has not yet been built=E2=80=9D. This submiss=
ive and
widespread acceptance of unchecked urbanisation has become tiresome. Sure,
yes, urbanisation will devour the biosphere if no alternatives are on offer
- but that=E2=80=99s not the case. There are thousands of ways to improve l=
ife
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/sustainability-design/a-wild-mirror-for-d=
esk-bound-workers/>
- and not just human life - in the cities we already have. So I have a
modest proposal: let=E2=80=99s draw a line in the (de-paved) sand and agree=
 that
the real-estate model of =E2=80=98development=E2=80=99
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/category/development-design/> is over and
focus instead on design for life.
ON REGARDING THE PAIN OF THE PLANET - A READER

Why is it that shocking stories and images fail to change things for the
better? Are there different ways of knowing the world, than merely looking?
I=E2=80=99ve posted a list here
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/handouts/on-regarding-the-pain-of-the-pla=
net-a-reader/#sthash.KyxKqRWN.dpuf%20>
of the wise people who have helped this writer understand this overarching
dilemma. Susan Sontag=E2=80=99s conclusion stays with me: =E2=80=9CPeople d=
on=E2=80=99t become
inured to what they are shown =E2=80=94 if that=E2=80=99s the right way to =
describe what
happens =E2=80=94 because of the quantity of images dumped on them. It is p=
assivity
that dulls feeling".
WILD LEARNING

=E2=80=9COur ancestors=E2=80=99 children didn=E2=80=99t go to school: Schoo=
l surrounded them.
Nature was a living teacher=E2=80=9D. Under the umbrella title of Wild Lear=
ning
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/learning-institutions/wild-learning-ecolo=
gical-education-and-alternative-learning-environments/>,
I=E2=80=99ve also posted a rough-and-ready list of of the nature-based educ=
ation,
biodiversity initiatives, and edible school gardens that are trying in
diverse ways to reconnect children - and the rest of us - with the living
systems of which we are a part.
FORTHCOMING TALKS & EVENTS

   - Oslo, 15 October System Oriented Design
   <http://www.systemsorienteddesign.net/>
   - Dundee, 22 October Chiasma, Sustaining Rural Scotland
   <http://www.dundee.ac.uk/research/main/news/20140811110459/>
   - Amsterdam, 20 November, Pakhuis de Zwijger, De energieke samenleving
   <http://www.dezwijger.nl/104618/nl/joint-venture-2014-dag-1-de-energieke=
-samenleving>
   - New Delhi, 12-14 December: UnBox Festival
   <http://www.unboxfestival.com/>. For this year's UnBox I'll be joining M=
ansi
   Gupta
   <http://www.core77.com/blog/kickstarter/trmtab_how_buckminster_fuller_an=
d_one_companys_leather_waste_inspired_two_students_27012.asp>
   in a workshop to develop the plan for a Lab, situated at the heart of
   India's largest leather-producing region, that will combine clean forms =
of
   leather making with direct connections between between producers and
   customers. I'll also re-visit the subject of cycle commerce
   <http://designobserver.com/feature/cycle-commerce-as-an-ecosystem/37905/=
>
   and my proposal for the de-motorisation of Delhi.

DOORS OF PERCEPTION TALKS AND XSKOOLS

My talks and Xskool workshops - which you can read more about here
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/talks/> and here
<http://www.doorsofperception.com/xskool/> - explore opportunities where
social and ecological systems meet: food systems, housing, sustainable
infrastructure, mobility, the care economy. What are the key
social-ecological systems in this place? how night one design in them? and,
how does one get started?

CONTACT

Contact me (John Thackara, Doors of Perception) by Email
john at doorsofperception.com
*Blog* *doorsofperception.com* <http://www.doorsofperception.com/>
*Twitter* *@johnthackara* <https://twitter.com/johnthackara>
*LinkedIn* *www.linkedin.com*
<http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3D139933&trk=3Dtab_pro>

* Unsubscribe *
To unsubscribe please visit
http://list.doorsofperception.com/unsubscribe/be9d04d2-bed1-4d2e-8a92-f8073=
98cc8ba
/
<http://list.doorsofperception.com/unsubscribe/be9d04d2-bed1-4d2e-8a92-f807=
398cc8ba/>

--=20
Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at:
http://en.wiki.floksociety.org/w/Research_Plan

P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net

<http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Update=
s:
http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

#82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

--001a11348b3464f22f05045d6fde
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<div dir=3D"ltr"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded messag=
e ----------<br>From: <b class=3D"gmail_sendername">Doors of Perception</b>=
 <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:mailing at list.doorsofperception.com=
">mailing at list.doorsofperception.com</a>&gt;</span><br>Date: Wed, Oct 1, 20=
14 at 9:01 PM<br>Subject: Housing without building: News From Doors of Perc=
eption<br>To: <a href=3D"mailto:michelsub2004 at gmail.com">michelsub2004 at gmai=
l.com</a><br><br><br><u></u>

<div>
<table width=3D"600"><tbody><tr><td>
<p><img src=3D"http://list.doorsofperception.com/logo.gif" alt=3D"logo" tit=
le=3D"Doors of Perception" width=3D"600" height=3D"62"></p>

<p>From John Thackara</p>

<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
<ul>
<li>Housing without building=E2=80=A8</li>
<li>On regarding the pain of the planet - a reader=E2=80=A8</li>
<li>Forthcoming events</li>
</ul>

<h2>HOUSING WITHOUT BUILDING</h2>
<p>The family of swallows that spent the summer in the eaves behind my offi=
ce here in France have headed south for the winter. Soon, as Christmas beck=
ons, they=E2=80=99ll reach their destinations: Botswana, Namibia or South A=
frica. After just two months gorging on insects, they=E2=80=99ll begin the =
epic journey back. The strongest among them will make it back in just five =
weeks, traveling 200 miles a day.</p>

<p>And I thought my air travel was profligate.</p>

<p>As an artefact, the swallows=E2=80=99 nest is not exactly the Taj Mahal.=
 It=E2=80=99s a ramshackle structure, made of mud pellets and straw, stuck =
crookedly to the wall. But it seems to suit them well - or rather, the surr=
ounding habitat does. Their physical abode is a safe enough place to park t=
heir young - but it=E2=80=99s not a gated community. What brings the swallo=
ws back every year is not their house but the surrounding environment as wh=
ole: open air for easy flight; fresh water from the river; flying insects t=
o feed their ravenous young. I have come to envy how lightly they manage to=
 live. We humans burn through billions of tons of resources to support our =
our own structures and lifestyles. Swallows throw their nests together from=
 found materials.</p>

<p>Preoccupied by swallows, I posed the following question last month to a =
meeting of Nordic Housing Association managers: Do we really need to build =
more boxes? Is it beyond our creativity to provide our fellow humans with s=
helter and sustenance without covering more of the world in concrete?</p>

<p>To be candid, I did not expect an easy ride from this group of experts. =
They have a ton of financial, legal and political issues to deal with in ma=
naging 2.4 million housing units across the Nordic countries. In the event,=
 I was surprised: Many of these housing professionals shared my concern at =
the baleful influence of the Real Estate Industrial Complex. Manufacturing =
boxes may be good for GDP and construction firms, some agreed, but we can s=
urely meet the social need for shelter in ways that that improve the habita=
t, not wreck it.</p>

<p>We discussed how to  <a href=3D"http://www.doorsofperception.com/localit=
y-place/the-ecozoic-city/" target=3D"_blank"> re-use the millions of empty =
buildings out there</a>: <a href=3D"http://www.doorsofperception.com/infras=
tructure-design/food-as-a-commons/" target=3D"_blank">the potential of food=
 hubs</a> to improve a community=E2=80=99s health; the need for a <a href=
=3D"http://www.doorsofperception.com/food-systems-design/shoe-town-to-brew-=
town/" target=3D"_blank">micro-brewery in every neighbourhood</a>; the bene=
fits of pollinator pathways through built-up areas; the potential of <a hre=
f=3D"http://depave.org/" target=3D"_blank">de-paving</a> to improve a town=
=E2=80=99s porosity to rain; how citizen action is improving the health of =
rivers, creeks and watersheds; how to <a href=3D"http://www.doorsofpercepti=
on.com/notopic/caloryville-the-two-wheeled-city/" target=3D"_blank">de-moto=
rise the movement of freight</a> through towns and cities.</p>

<p>This regenerative concept of place development was in stark contrast to =
a newsletter I received this morning. It announced that =E2=80=9C60% of the=
 area projected to be urban in 2030 has not yet been built=E2=80=9D. This s=
ubmissive and widespread acceptance of unchecked urbanisation has become ti=
resome. Sure, yes, urbanisation will devour the biosphere if no alternative=
s are on offer - but that=E2=80=99s not the case. There are <a href=3D"http=
://www.doorsofperception.com/sustainability-design/a-wild-mirror-for-desk-b=
ound-workers/" target=3D"_blank">thousands of ways to improve life</a> - an=
d not just human life - in the cities we already have.  So I have a modest =
proposal: let=E2=80=99s draw a line in the (de-paved) sand and agree that t=
he <a href=3D"http://www.doorsofperception.com/category/development-design/=
" target=3D"_blank">real-estate model of =E2=80=98development=E2=80=99</a> =
is over and focus instead on design for life.</p>

<h2>ON REGARDING THE PAIN OF THE PLANET - A READER</h2>
<p>Why is it that shocking stories and images fail to change things for the=
 better? Are there different ways of knowing the world, than merely looking=
? I=E2=80=99ve posted a list <a href=3D"http://www.doorsofperception.com/ha=
ndouts/on-regarding-the-pain-of-the-planet-a-reader/#sthash.KyxKqRWN.dpuf%2=
0" target=3D"_blank">here</a> of the wise people who have helped this write=
r understand this overarching dilemma. Susan Sontag=E2=80=99s conclusion st=
ays with me: =E2=80=9CPeople don=E2=80=99t become inured to what they are s=
hown =E2=80=94 if that=E2=80=99s the right way to describe what happens =E2=
=80=94 because of the quantity of images dumped on them. It is passivity th=
at dulls feeling&quot;.</p>

<h2>WILD LEARNING</h2>
<p>=E2=80=9COur ancestors=E2=80=99 children didn=E2=80=99t go to school: Sc=
hool surrounded them. Nature was a living teacher=E2=80=9D. Under the umbre=
lla title of <a href=3D"http://www.doorsofperception.com/learning-instituti=
ons/wild-learning-ecological-education-and-alternative-learning-environment=
s/" target=3D"_blank">Wild Learning</a>, I=E2=80=99ve also posted a rough-a=
nd-ready list of of the nature-based education, biodiversity initiatives, a=
nd edible school gardens that are trying in diverse ways to reconnect child=
ren - and the rest of us - with the living systems of which we are a part.<=
/p>

<h2>FORTHCOMING TALKS &amp; EVENTS</h2>
<ul>
<li>Oslo, 15 October <a href=3D"http://www.systemsorienteddesign.net/" targ=
et=3D"_blank">System Oriented Design</a></li>
<li>Dundee, 22 October <a href=3D"http://www.dundee.ac.uk/research/main/new=
s/20140811110459/" target=3D"_blank">Chiasma, Sustaining Rural Scotland</a>=
</li>
<li>Amsterdam, 20 November, Pakhuis de Zwijger,  <a href=3D"http://www.dezw=
ijger.nl/104618/nl/joint-venture-2014-dag-1-de-energieke-samenleving" targe=
t=3D"_blank">De energieke samenleving</a></li>
<li>New Delhi, 12-14 December: <a href=3D"http://www.unboxfestival.com/" ta=
rget=3D"_blank">UnBox Festival</a>. For this year&#39;s UnBox I&#39;ll be j=
oining <a href=3D"http://www.core77.com/blog/kickstarter/trmtab_how_buckmin=
ster_fuller_and_one_companys_leather_waste_inspired_two_students_27012.asp"=
 target=3D"_blank">Mansi Gupta</a> in a workshop to develop the plan for a =
Lab, situated at the heart of India&#39;s largest leather-producing region,=
 that will combine clean forms of leather making with direct connections be=
tween between producers and customers. I&#39;ll also re-visit the subject o=
f <a href=3D"http://designobserver.com/feature/cycle-commerce-as-an-ecosyst=
em/37905/" target=3D"_blank">cycle commerce</a> and my proposal for the de-=
motorisation of Delhi.</li>
</ul>

<h2>DOORS OF PERCEPTION TALKS AND XSKOOLS</h2>=E2=80=A8
<p>My talks and Xskool workshops - which you can read more about <a href=3D=
"http://www.doorsofperception.com/talks/" target=3D"_blank">here</a> and <a=
 href=3D"http://www.doorsofperception.com/xskool/" target=3D"_blank">here</=
a> - explore opportunities where social and ecological systems meet: food s=
ystems, housing, sustainable infrastructure, mobility, the care economy. Wh=
at are the key social-ecological systems in this place? how night one desig=
n in them? and, how does one get started?</p>

<br><h2>CONTACT</h2>
<p>Contact me (John Thackara, Doors of Perception) by Email  <a href=3D"mai=
lto:john at doorsofperception.com" target=3D"_blank">john at doorsofperception.co=
m</a>
<br>
<b>Blog</b> <a href=3D"http://www.doorsofperception.com/" target=3D"_blank"=
><b>doorsofperception.com</b></a>
<br>
<b>Twitter</b> <a href=3D"https://twitter.com/johnthackara" target=3D"_blan=
k"><b>@johnthackara</b></a>
<br>
<b>LinkedIn</b> <a href=3D"http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3D139933=
&amp;trk=3Dtab_pro" target=3D"_blank"><b>www.linkedin.com</b></a></p>
<p><b>
Unsubscribe
</b><br>To unsubscribe please visit <a href=3D"http://list.doorsofperceptio=
n.com/unsubscribe/be9d04d2-bed1-4d2e-8a92-f807398cc8ba/" target=3D"_blank">=
http://list.doorsofperception.com/unsubscribe/be9d04d2-bed1-4d2e-8a92-f8073=
98cc8ba
/
</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
</div>

</div><br><br clear=3D"all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Che=
ck out the Commons Transition Plan here at:=C2=A0<a href=3D"http://en.wiki.=
floksociety.org/w/Research_Plan" target=3D"_blank">http://en.wiki.floksocie=
ty.org/w/Research_Plan</a>=C2=A0</div><div><br></div>P2P Foundation: <a hre=
f=3D"http://p2pfoundation.net" target=3D"_blank">http://p2pfoundation.net</=
a>=C2=A0 - <a href=3D"http://blog.p2pfoundation.net" target=3D"_blank">http=
://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a> <br><br><a href=3D"http://lists.ourproject.or=
g/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation" target=3D"_blank"></a>Updates: <=
a href=3D"http://twitter.com/mbauwens" target=3D"_blank">http://twitter.com=
/mbauwens</a>; <a href=3D"http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens" target=3D"_blan=
k">http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens</a><br><br>#82 on the (En)Rich list: <a=
 href=3D"http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/" target=3D"_blank">http:/=
/enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/</a> <br></div>
</div>

--001a11348b3464f22f05045d6fde--