Imagine a new paradigm for planning
December 23rd, 2008 by Jim JustA group of Ashland sustainability activists is seeking to make Ashland the 9th city in the U.S. to be designated a Transition Town. Monthly meetings of the “Sustainability Leaders Dialog” have been drawing over 50 people planning to create volunteer teams to work on problem areas such as food, water, housing and energy.
Imagine all the people, living life in peace . . .
The Transition Town movement has arisen around the question: how can our community respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of peak oil and climate change? Transition towners ask the big question: how do we significantly increase resilience of our community (to mitigate the effects of peak oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of climate change) while providing and even improving all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive?
Imagine all the people, sharing all the world . . .
Folks with similar aims but a different focus are behind the “slow city” movement. The Citta Slow movement is dedicated to relaxation, sustainability, quality of life, community and preservation of tradition. This approach turns traditional planning on its head. Rather than seeing planning as a way to accommodate growth – “smart” or otherwise – its aim is to improve the quality of life for people who live in the town and for the people who visit. Imagine, fighting back against corporatism and giganticism with local food and drink, produced using local products and traditional skills. Imagine having mayors, city councilors, and planning commissions on your side.
Imagine all the people, living for today . . .
Just as you can get your town “officially” designated as a “transition town, you can get it recognized as a “slow town”, too. That’s the kind of boosterism that actually begins to make sense.
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one