[SPSD] Ecocities Emerging - December 2012 Issue
- From: Kirstin Miller and Richard Register <kirstin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: spsd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 15:37:25 -0500 (EST)
Link to webpage version of this newsletter
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs072/1100594
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=hdosiabab&v=001Mk_gIOuRuDYVIp3dccnKfaZGtEvKMGYTKC6kQHJJYlqWfMqvnVK80mnYSQp51HggYW6MP48BwLS2mVrIhOICE7u7F3CD3XlQl-b3VQG2oyY%3D
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Ecocities Emerging
To support humanity's transition into the Ecozoic Era
Ecocity Builders
December 2012
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Greetings,
I'm pleased to announce that I've finished the manuscript for my next book,
World
Rescue - An Economics Built on What We Build. By "finished" I mean I like it a
lot
and it says what I want it to say. I'm currently looking for the right
publisher.
In order to start circulating the book's content while we finalize the
publishing
plan, I've decided to make my "Editor's Cut" available to our members and
friends
now. We've had quite a few people say they want to see it sooner rather than
later,
especially since it often takes months from search for publisher to printing.
The
Editor's Cut will come with a few favorite photos and some of my ecocity
illustrations,
in color.
World Rescue - An Economics Built on What We Build is about the role of
ecocities
in economics. Perhaps the most important idea is that in the mass/energy
economics
of nature (based mostly on minerals, waters and the atmosphere of our planet,
energized
by solar energy captured by chlorophyll and delivered to people) links directly
to the "real" production and services economics of society, manily through our
cities.
My quest in this book has been to clarify the connection between nature's
economy
and society's such that damaging contradictions are resolved, such as the one
that
says that infinite growth in a finite environment is healthy. Nature says this
is
impossible, or if almost attained, suicidal.
In the book I present a novel history of economics that looks at evolution,
history,
the present crises and our prospects. I think most of our newsletters readers
would
find it interesting.
Editors's Cut Highlights:
* Analysis of the Economic Crisis of 2008, along with a history of the
Crash
of 1929 and the gifts to the future of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's initiatives
and
policies.
* What Adam Smith, Darwin, Gandhi, Greenspan, and Jesus have to do with it
and the capitalism/socialism unifying insights of John Kenneth Galbraith and
Jane
Jacobs.
* The endosymbiosis evolutionary theory of Lynn Margulis and China's
Special
Economic Zones together revising both evolution and economics.
* How nature's and society's economics are linked and unified mainly by
Ecocities.
* The role of exaggerated gamesmanship in hardening economic and political
battles.
* The stages of tool making and industrialization going back 1,700,000
years
to the hand ax.
* The role of war and violence and Thomas Hobbes' "Leviathan" in economics.
* How formulas like Pr [TA<1,TB<1] = f2 (f-1(FA(1)),f-1(FB(1),Y) fooled
investors
and wrecked the lives of millions of people - thanks Wall Street!
* Place-conscious green jobs and a new full employment strategy - if you
know
what to build and where to look for the Three Sacred Golden Cows.
* Economic and religious life in the ancient city, and in the preindustrial
city.
* The connections between city building and climate change.
* City building affecting practically everything else, with ecocities a net
contributor to human and environmental health both, building soils and
restoring
biodiversity.
* An advance beyond Lester Brown's Plan B books on "how to prevent environmental
and economic collapse,"and earlier attempts to "rescue the world."
* Yes there are silver bullets after all: the ecocity is one, as is greater
economic
equality, bothe solving many serious problems all at once.
* And much more...
How to get the Editor's Cut copy:
* Order online via Paypal and major credit cards
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7FH16FKXpI00_EmiBMhFWzZx67ELPDlunA5aKkJkwHxcn6fvmfaBkqwWNEGChpxTm-XGPUftgb1rcu0M4eaJYhLoH2d2j4eQdk22z_lwhGYm0SOWEXsflfpkX92mp10iBSK__vea6E6tR8OQwRqq7IHcrViy4C7SaD1wEh3c9fXJl9451XhvGkO]
* Choose PDF email attachment or CD, 425 pages, 17 inspiring pictures for $20.
* CD has 28 higher resolution images and will be sent to your postal address, so
$20 +shipping.
* Gift the Edictor's Cut to your friends and family for the holidays! - just
tell
us where to send the PDF via email or postal address and we will include with a
postcard (e-postcard or regular) with a note announcing your gift.
* If you pay by check here's our address: 339 15th Street, Suite 208, Oakland,
California 94612, USA. Make sure to include your email address of the address
of the recipient, if someone other than yourself.
I hope you consider giving it a read and I would also greatly appreciate your
comments
and feedback!
Warm regards,
Richard Register
President, Ecocity Builders
sm.ecb
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7H_SsaFM4dpE6yQvEDWw0dUUCwCOAQvJpUW_AIAyPix8RnZc7c6GiXnUPA78AGzet4pLoLqLuYUgsLLoh04YmIMgoBDlcF9Qs9r2_-a-MietQ==]
Keeper of the International Ecocity Conference Series
Ecocity Builders is a non-profit organization dedicated to reshaping cities,
towns
and villages for long-term health of human and natural systems.
Ecocity Builders
339 15th Street, Suite 208
Oakland CA 94612 USA
www.ecocitybuilders.org
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7H_SsaFM4dpE6yQvEDWw0dUUCwCOAQvJpUW_AIAyPix8RnZc7c6GiXnUPA78AGzet4pLoLqLuYUgsLLoh04YmIMgoBDlcF9Qs9r2_-a-MietQ==]
www.ecocitystandards.org
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7F8RO0WDa4QqZc3_i66xznLdthxGsCGsLU84E5gJRm_yJ7M3hLlurtarB1IG9qoVU-4vQ_1DT9elJZ_OO9YmIOmWzSHzvUdvLE1pYL1JTS_wy8qU2byZif0]
facebook.jpg
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7GRvTjlj1dHamq02cyZScWh1zQJjMwPMHsXJGd5HOUUOKB_XH8b9FaWgjZSxLHfIUOrQTF5nJM5K4A71qxWyFQ8_Z4-D0obon0WO1QVbgbO7dpriWPASW_idEwFLFiQBvERef_CTWKXj0mxs43USxTo8RYUEjYJEJcd6KvvgXtzIAFNsEm5JUTRj_IGv72pNtg=]
Thank you to our major supporters: British Columbia Institute of Technology -
School
of Construction and the Environment; Helen and William Mazer Foundation;
Columbia
Foundation; The California Endowment.
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ecocity-2013 website
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7E0bk5Bc7dq75MTHr4IEgtVAz-pwDGFG7UNsOPGf_AfCW3Q1pezdJPixfLaKboZXV4uJpFbUsS1eRtp-EyfUyjw-2kAq8l_EQSrebDexWCifFMKa5FVDdIS]
"10th International Ecocity Conference"
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS OPEN UNTIL DECEMBER 15
www.ecocity-2013.com
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7HsdYDG-ca_T-E7RdT7sQ5zo-9LwnQ2q05ZJEPBFXJI1UMQAHlAx8edDmoeiNBNYoVJrqjZH4g2MM6o7iob-XR87Uk1BONOCoqrQffxz9SJQQ==]
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In July 2012 Ecocity Builders joined a new cities network, City Protocol
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7GNQqDpA6R9NfDXgjcX7GkUmHhO7VPnR36LWQj_oATuEiynrleVMv_yZYf46vUIUj4_5Bm8GGoVJy1vrQaEHW9xWRLdLdywwzNsdJrhdsTEWQ==].
Cities, companies, organization and institutions are invited to join.
City Protocol booth at Barcelona Smart City Expo in November, Barcelona, Spain
City Protocol Society Officially Launches during Barcelona's Smart City Expo in
November
The City Protocol Society officially launched last month at the November 2012
Smart
City World Congress in Barcelona. The launch set out a roadmap for the society
to be fully operational by April 2013.
Ecocity Builders' Executive Director Kirstin Miller participated and will help
facilitate
the Society's first project to develop and test a first iteration of the City
Protocol
framework and assessment method to city districts and neighborhoods. The Project
is now underway with representatives from the cities of San Francisco,
Barcelona,
Stockholm, Genoa and Derby, Ecocity Builders, the Institute for Advanced
Architecture
of Catalonia, Consensus Institute, HP, Cisco, and Capgemini, among others.
The Project will focus on key areas within cities - districts and neighborhoods,
and is anchored in a systems thinking approach to understanding how variables
and factors concerning city physiology (city anatomy + urban metabolism)
influence
one another, while considering ambitious levels of required systems
performance.
CP Partners and Benefits
City Protocol Society assists all types of organizations to connect, learn,
share,
collaborate, and implement city transformation.
It enables Cities to:
* identify common challenges and agree to work on these pragmatically and
effectively
together to deliver tools, methods, pilots etc., to support wide-scale
evidence-based
transformation
* link up with other cities that have common requirements and, through
aggregation
of demand, enable greater innovation, with faster, better, cheaper solutions
created
from product and service providers, who, in turn, will gain access to larger and
more dependable markets.
It enables Industry, Research Bodies, Financial Institutions, and Organizations
to:
* work with cities in addressing their challenges and identifying the most
appropriate
business and financial models to gain the investment needed to enable real
transformation
* find city partners to engage in new models of business and pursue joint
initiatives
* serve as global distribution channels for existing city transformation efforts
already underway.
Becoming a Partner
The City Protocol Society is open to all cities, businesses, research agencies
and
organizations who are working to understand and deliver change in cities
throughout
the world.
Visit www.cityprotocol.org
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7EVw28iQh3Ii8LYW9w4dM4f2HVBfGfU6niqxkXsHzjrg3tbIU8CmwE33n8JvrP6Ht3ZuOXhOgTx2l1Y9NyPOShfwExgxYg7OJG0SnWHkNKx9w==]
and sign up to get more information about how to become a partner in this
global
community.
To sign up to City Protocol Society email updates, please email
secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] with "City Protocol newsletter" in the
subject
line.
Ecocity Builders' Kirstin Miller visits a passive solar building project near
the
Barcelona harbor
Areti Markopoulou, Director of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of
Catalonia,
gives a tour of the IAAC lab in Barcelona
Sebastian Moffatt, Consensus Institute, from Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada,
discusses
project details with Barcelona based research team members
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Healthy Culture and the Ecocity
by Jennie Moore, Director, Sustainable Development and Environmental
Stewardship,
British Columbia Institute of Technology
The International Ecocity Framework and Standards identifies "Healthy Culture"
as
one of the 15 essential conditions of an ecocity. Specifically, "an ecocity
facilitates
cultural activities that strengthen ecoliteracy, patterns of human knowledge and
creative expression, develops symbolic thought and social learning"
(www.ecocitystandards.org
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7F8RO0WDa4QqZc3_i66xznLdthxGsCGsLU84E5gJRm_yJ7M3hLlurtarB1IG9qoVU-4vQ_1DT9elJZ_OO9YmIOmWzSHzvUdvLE1pYL1JTS_wy8qU2byZif0]).
Mobility designed for the human body, not the car.
There is an iterative relationship between culture and its expression in the
built
environment. We build what we believe, and as we build so shall we live
(Register
2006). Therefore, whether a society values the ecological systems upon which it
depends becomes evident through the treatment of local ecology within the city
and
the design of the built environment in relationship to it. Examples include
preservation
of urban streams and natural topographical features, buildings that are energy
efficient
and orient to the sun or create shade as local climatic conditions require.
Public
spaces that provide opportunities for relaxation and "re-creation," and that
also
function as green corridors or buffer zones to support habitat protection and
food
production.
Community garden with car planter in foreground.
Of course, a city's ecological dependence also rests with its surrounding
bio-region
and other areas scattered all around the world whence it draws energy and
resources.
The ways that an ecocity facilitates cultural activities that strengthen
eco-literacy
with regard to these "urban ecosystem relationships" is critically important
(Rees
2010). Indeed, a healthy culture is one that can regenerate itself and adapt
according
to changing circumstances (Diamond 2005).
Commercial urban agriculture.
Like the city, the culture that built it is also "a living system of human
relationships
that expresses itself in language, arts, tool-making and social organization,
including
politics and economics" (Downtown 2012). Downtown uses the geometric notion of
"fractals"
to explore how healthy culture can both develop and scale-up across a city. A
fractal
contains within it all the essential characteristics of the larger whole of
which
it is a part. A small community that contains the values and governance
structure
essential to a healthy culture can create and re-create an ecocity over time.
Welcoming cycling on neighborhood streets.
References:
Register, Richard. 2006. Ecocities: Rebuilding cities in balance with nature.
Gabriola
Island BC: New Society Publishers.
Rees, William E. 2010. Getting Serious About Urban Sustainability:
Eco-footprints
and the vulnerability of 21st century cities. Chapter 5 in Trudi Bunting, Pierre
Filion, and Ryan Walker (eds.), Canadian Cities in Transition: New Directions
in
the 21st Century. Fourth edition. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press.
Diamond, Jared. 2005. Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed. New
York:
Viking Press.
Downton, Paul. 2012. Neighbourhoods and Urban Fractals - the building blocks of
sustainable cities, posted on October 17 in The Nature of Cities (online
resource)
http://www.thenatureofcities.com/2012/10/17/neighborhoods-and-urban-fractals-the-building-blocks-of-sustainable-cities/
(Accessed on November 29, 2012).
British Columbia Institute of Technology School of Construction and the
Environment
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7F5EmG7iLLVlESYylA9X_Q-PSJgDEVjH7vbaxgygIxy7R5Ra114vGBESb362uXhxZytIlGn0O3Jny5gfwS7Xfk6MWmnRIGNWOYliOVWNjkcLAtZ4484el5uS2L2mt2tBtmUs-NFuY27KQ==]
is Lead Sponsor of the International Ecocity Framework and Standards Initiative
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Montreal, City of Bikes
by Sven Eberlein
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7EWLCuqVYx_-N_02026IREJah8yCECkyKcUO0Y6ON4jcyZQXn149ayPKpbmQL0SdNjxj207gl9-iO551KlosRsP3BqCIBTqQMrJwUopBtMJm4zePTTJXVCt53zuh2uM-zOomSYWXyn9SQ==],
Ecocity Builders
Bixi bikes against a beautifully muraled wall in Montreal.
Last year I visited Montreal to attend the Ecocity World Summit
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7HgvYsQjUBe6vJWM2VClsBDexlJpfHDohvzjBsac6YmoxR7Tf0SUrXGkqCqEmQKhdrsV_DDivueoF_ybrvtIntKiN5uCiwy6ja8qYwEt3_hRURr7tcJIGafv4R6NYyoqzcluOsAqwNvpg==],
a biannual gathering of visionaries from around the globe committed to creating
cities where people live in mutually enriching relationship with each other and
with the Earth. Looking at cities as living breathing organisms, with all their
residents - human and non-human - forming an intricate web of interdependence,
the
very idea of an ecocity is rooted in a sharing principle, where citizens
understand
not only the physical value of making the most of our natural resources, but the
cultural, spiritual, ecological, and ultimately, economic value inherent in
building
networks and communities.
As usual at conferences, there were a lot of inspiring speakers, panels, and
workshops,
but when you're talking about cities and the people who make them what they are,
there is nothing quite like venturing out into the urban jungle with your eyes
and mind wide open. So I signed up for a few mobile workshops, got busy scouting
bike maps, put on my walking shoes, and started searching for the people and
places
that make up the social fabric of Montreal. What I found was a sharing spirit
that
wasn't just evident in the many organizations and programs promoting community
participation
but a palpable "we're in this together" mentality emanating from street corners
everywhere.
Link to full article on Shareable
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7EQ98bVcigNYRjCD_8YvcATzfwzLo2q7gXoCp46V8pePsnLUGpYw1Qv6loZh5T-2PVUFblxlGivTssTE1VSrtnHvoshXpzosEGfhgDcudl100CMKL1felpHbBj6lbK1EcUa8zwPUtwdT9-a8qq6va-H]
shareable
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7EQ98bVcigNYRjCD_8YvcATzfwzLo2q7gXoCp46V8pePsnLUGpYw1Qv6loZh5T-2PVUFblxlGivTssTE1VSrtnHvoshXpzosEGfhgDcudl100CMKL1felpHbBj6lbK1EcUa8zwPUtwdT9-a8qq6va-H]
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Car Free Journey
By Steve Atlas
First Night: Raleigh, North Carolina
As the holidays approach, many of us wonder how to spend New Year's Eve. One of
my favorite New Year's Eve activities is "First Night:" A non-alcoholic arts and
entertainment evening available to area residents at little cost (usually a
"button"
that costs $10-$20 for all programs). For many years, my wife and I enjoyed 1st
Night in Annapolis, MD. One year, we celebrated 1st Night in Alexandria, VA.
One of the benefits of First Night is there is no need to drive. Many programs
are
within walking distance of each other. Frequently, a free shuttle bus provides
transportation
between venues. Since many First Nights are held in or near downtown, visitors
can
stay in one location and enjoy a great New Year's Eve without ever needing to
drive.
For a complete list of communities throughout the United States that have their
own First Night, visit http://firstnightusa.com/
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7E7COVS14Dq_4-Tbk5v-bO5SBGeoaYSd2jXU_sEhULgN6_o-UcWRvp-r2fz35ZybCqsvbyUjERYqTFXYSQ4zeZ5G_Zmbu3swmSMB-6KnIr1xg==].
This year, we wanted to celebrate First Night away from home. One community we
considered
was Raleigh, North Carolina. (Unfortunately, our plans changed and we couldn't
come that evening.) Raleigh is one of many communities that offer First Night
for
the entire family. In this month's column, we will visit downtown Raleigh, learn
about First Night, and suggest a few self-guided walking tours that you can
enjoy
without ever needing to drive or leave downtown Raleigh.
READ ON
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7FxWx2wLctbQco8fIenjMVNm5VThA2CHblOQhyfFKE67mqeNkO_FQxV5YAv7BlymYCtrTcxlfN76F5RAHfYSeNEYMcxID9hLXc9kgOO6iOcomBGbRFfGHhMtAO4QGF6nNbUGYJ5AuHXznT4XN-ouQ6gmYeB2tartV1AOVgCcvWGcNLNxjjTjdDaNJpXKRKM7dXY6viHgxCcdQ==]
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Founded in 1992, Ecocity Builders is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
reshaping
cities for the long-term health of human and natural systems.
www.ecocitybuilders.org
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7H_SsaFM4dpE6yQvEDWw0dUUCwCOAQvJpUW_AIAyPix8RnZc7c6GiXnUPA78AGzet4pLoLqLuYUgsLLoh04YmIMgoBDlcF9Qs9r2_-a-MietQ==]
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25-27 September 2013
Help Us Create a
Dynamic
Ecocity World Summit 2013!
The proposal due date has been extended to
December 15, 2012.
It's easy to submit a proposal!
And to answer any questions you may have...
You are invited to:
- join the Ecocity tweetchat on Fridays, 2pm-5pm CET (Central European Time)
http://tweetchat.com/room/ecocity
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7GGPExIMYAD21PoLbhXWfVJy-wNdgHYKXxgyq8gDG9wo7pIeXg7_xMzr0Qw3E6ezOpKko5UvJt3tIPHUrZDkLKyICDXwgEojOQ2eTteojdNhuWcMp8poY-g]
- join our weekly Skype calls on Fridays (each call starts on the hour, between
2 and 5pm CET, add ecocity2013 to their contact lists, calls will be held in
English)
- follow the #ECOCITY hashtag on twitter
And please help spread the word:
- Retweet the call for contributions to your contacts (please add the #ECOCITY
hashtage
and please use this link: bitly.com/Qn2B0T)
- join the ECOCITY team on wiserEarth (if in doubt, contact @WiserEarth)
- Post about #ECOCITY on other social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+)
10th in the International Ecocity Conference Series
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7E6LJOYpgxUqeXOA8N5HmFdxJObJlG0o8zIAypaxYODNLhvbHxvgisB7KDP16QUkVvE2wf6x4VybsHvzCPQdXFWYrIBrZVYJrscfkC9WIZiRNZ_ZzUMceOeeURF1GjOBJa0QwBbk1fNAi0bCcnXSqtcGjS_YtJVC-4p9i4dmKO1og==]
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UPDATE: Ecocitizen World Map Project receives endorsement and adoption by Eye on
Earth's Special Initiative Secretariat
by Kirstin Miller, Executive Director, Ecocity Builders
Map screenshot - Rio de Janeiro area favelas' citizen reports
The Ecocitizen World Map Project
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7EYnoYFEL454oDwAucB0N1sAZxcB8kejx3JO-6p0vjplAH7TXU5G_D5_8UClamFh96JnBPuLB9IHT8LUQg2bh0gPBtS0PhNiKjb70YeqshtSEYToBreZkZL],
previously affiliated with the Eye on Earth Community Sustainability and
Resilience
Special Initiative, recently received official full project adoption and
endorsement
by the Eye on Earth Secretariat. The Secretariat is currently developing a
communications
and funding strategy for this project and others in their updated 2013 project
portfolio.
eye on earth
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001iQf7_vswI7Hh-ZGQqE-wz3RoSIDVqFnRi5QOGkejAaSRukQ6vMzWtiuf1Ix4Kq6TP-R8aDNFtlOfKkGg6vrPmrAA8Z5xDer7WN1PAjzVjWclTwYsXeocC-JBHWdTLxUZD4vnSWhY_5PgH8ck5oFCDg==]Eye
on Earth is a public-private partnership bringing together expertise from
industry
and public organizations. The European Environment Agency (EEA), Esri and
Microsoft
Corporation collaborated to initially launch the Eye on Earth Network, an online
community for discovering and sharing data about the environment. This new
cloud
computing-based network promotes the principles of public data access and
citizen
science. Users can easily explore maps and map-based apps made by others,
contribute
content, and create their own maps and map-based apps, translating complex
scientific
data into accessible, interactive and visual online representations.
Launched in 2012 by Ecocity Builders along with Esri, Ushahidi, the American
Association
of Geographers and local partners in Rio de Janeiro's favela communities in the
lead up to the United Nations Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development, the
Ecocitizen
World Map Project engages and trains community leaders and citizens, including
youth,
in applying ecocity principles and mapping, geodesign, and community evaluation
methodology to develop evidence-based local urban sustainability advocacy,
action
plans and projects using tools meant to increase accountability and
transparency.
Scientific and sociological underpinnings of the Project are based on the
International
Ecocity Framework and Standards Initiative (IEFS) currently under development by
Ecocity Builders and their international expert advisory council, and in
consultation
with the UNISDR's "Making Cities Resilient Campaign", the UN-Habitat's World
Urban
Campaign, and Eye on Earth.
The Ecocitizen World Map Project presents a whole systems perspective to the
urban
environment, engaging cities and citizens around the core conditions of the
complete
healthy and resilient urban ecosystem, including urban design features such as
"access
by proximity" as well as bio geophysical features such as clean water and air,
and
socio-culture features such as education and economy.
Cities and citizens are trained on how to use simple applications to upload
their
observations and assessments via their mobile phones or the web. Posts are
translated
into visual mapping data in order to better assess avenues for improvements.
Interactive
urban sustainability assessments can then be undertaken, combined with GIS
mapping
and web applications, allowing widespread citizen engagement and participation
in
the sustainable development decision making process, implementation through
pilots
and projects, and with added accountability and transparency through citizen
monitored
assessments and measurements of the health of their neighborhoods' conditions.
In 2013, the project will seek to update the Ecocitizen web portal and map
applications
so that we can address several technical and user issues identified during the
pilot.
From there, we plan to test the next version of the Map in several additional
favela
communities in Rio de Janeiro. We also plan to test the same approach in other
locations
with partners in Manila, Philippines and Kathmandu, Nepal.
Finally, we will seek to showcase the results of the next phase of the
Ecocitizen
Map Project at Ecocity World Summit 2013 convening in Nantes, France, September
25-27 2013. Ecocity World Summit is the longest running conference series of the
subject of ecological cities.
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A BIG THANK YOU TO THE
ECOCITY BUILDERS' 2012 TEAM
Ecocity Builders' work would not be possible without the dedicated support of
our
members, including our staff, advisors, volunteers, interns, associates, and
funders.
We are truly grateful for your contributions of time, talent and financial
support.
Thank you!
The below photos show Ecocity Builders out and about around the world in 2012 --
sharing ecocity knowledge and ideas while connecting with like-minded groups
and
individuals.
Advisor Jennie More (front left) and Kirstin Miller (center) with Suzana Gueiros
(University of Rio de Janeiro (right) at Forte do Leme to organize the
Sentinals
of Sustainability event. - Brazil
Shivang Patwa demonstrates his team's "Clip and Slide" project at the Urban
Prototyping
Festival SF - San Francisco, California, USA
Ecocity Builders with University of Rio de Janeiro, British Columbia Institute
of
Technology (BCIT), and The Mega Cities Project in Rio de Janeiro for Rio+20 the
UN Summit on Sustainable Development. - Brazil
Kirstin Miller (right) with 'Making Cities Resilient' UNISDR colleagues. -
Incheon,
South Korea
Volunteer Beatrice Benne (right) on San Francisco Eco District Tour. - San
Francisco,
California
Nicholas de Monchaux presents his research at Rio+20. - Brazil
Advisor Rick Smith tests bridge stability on Rio favela tour. - Brazil
Intern Naomi Grunditz meets with the Ambassador for the Environment from Sweden.
- New York City
Richard Register and translator in Seoul speaking at a design conference. -
Seoul,
South Korea
"Favelas as a sustainable model" tour in Rio de Janeiro with Catalytic
Communities
and Ecocity Builders. - Brazil
Jonn Braman, Advisor, tours one of Rio's forts turned into an environmental
preserve.
- Brazil
Richard Register (second from right) speaks at the Rio+20 ICLEI Global Town
Hall.
- Brazil
Ecocity Builders' Kirstin Miller and Sven Eberlein meet with Camilla Burg
(left),
Wisr.org. - Marin, California
Intern Ashoka Finley at the People's Summit, Rio de Janeiro. - Brazil
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Principal Features of an Ecocity
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PRINCIPAL SPONSOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL ECOCITY FRAMEWORK AND STANDARDS
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Other related posts:
- » [SPSD] Ecocities Emerging - December 2012 Issue - Kirstin Miller and Richard Register
