Read of Polar Sam’s Real Life Adventures!
The 21st Century finds Americans waking to the Reality of the unintended consequences of our car-dependent suburban sprawl lifestyle; over consumption of a dwindling supply of natural resources and cheap oil, a health crises of obesity and diabetes, a spiritual crises and lack of purpose, social isolation and lack of connection, increasingly catastrophic weather events and the impending loss of 1/3 to 1/2 of the world’s species from global warming. And then there’s the economic thing; Half the boomers have no savings for retirement, and our “flip this house” game plan has gone bust. What’s a citizen to do?
Can we do a comprehensive downsizing of our lifestyle and maintain (and even enhance!) our Quality of Life?
“Yes, we can!”
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to create a sustainable lifestyle. “But”, you might protest, ” there isn’t a village of folks cooperating anywhere in sight! All we have is suburbia, and we only know a handful of our neighbors, and I don’t think we are going to be working together any time soon!”
Welcome to Beyond Suburbia!
Americans have done it before. We came together in a time that called for profound cooperation, beginning Dec 8, 1941. In 6 months, Detroit stopped making cars for civilians and switched to tanks and airplanes. Women joined the workforce is unprecedented numbers, and Victory Gardens sprung up everywhere.
The current challenge we have is even tougher…”We’ve met the enemy and He is us”. (Pogo, 1970) So how do we rise to the challenge???
It Takes a Village….All Hands on Deck
John Parkin won the contract to design a gerontology center at USC. On a rainy winter’s day, he met with some of the senior citizens that lived in an old hotel in downtown Los Angeles and asked, ”What would you include in a senior citizens center?”
Several years later John shared his experience with me. ”They went around the cirlce, each sharing their ideas of what to include in the gerontology center design. Part way through, it was as if a 3 dimensional image started to form in the center of the room. Every person’s contribution held an essential piece of the puzzle, and as they shared, the vision became more and more whole.”
John’s story still has a deep impact on me; It’s not the majority that wins. It’s not a question of who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s a statement that the design is better because each person holds an unique perspective that adds to the whole. It takes a village and we need everyone’s contribution. “We’ve met the solution, and He is us”….”All hands on Deck!”
So How DO We Work Together?
We believe it’s essential to accept the existing conditions. We don’t even know alot of our neighbors, let alone want to cooperate with them.
We need a “big enough why” to get involved and go beyond our comfort zones. Once the benefits become compelling enough, our objections become minor considerations.
What would your life be like if some of these kinds of opportunities existed where you live??!! Take a look at the many possibilities we’ve gathered (and embellished upon), and enjoy imagining having them in your life!
Sustainability is about Economic, Social, and Ecological Systems and Strategies that create an empowering, more abundant, just, and joyful future for all, such as:
“Mixed-Use, Mixed-Income Neighborhoods, with Life Long Learning and Open Space…Everywhere!”
Sustainability Meets the Diverse Needs of the New American Family
Not only have the times changed, but so has the American Family. According to the 2000 Census, only 24% of households in the United States have the traditional demographics of two adults and children under 18 living under one roof. And yet currently (2006), 78% of our new home production is single family homes. It’s as if we still believe Wally and the Beaver are still living at home with their parents, Ward and June Cleaver.
Economic Sustainability- Cost Reduction and Profit Sharing Strategies
With good planning and design, your neighborhood can be more sustainable economically. Alternatives to gentrification, ensuring perpetual affordability, allow future generations and area employees to remain nearby. Here’s a list of ways to get more financial support from your home and your neighborhood while making them great places to live and retire.
Social Sustainability Solutions
Single Parents, Empty nesters, Young professional couples, Singles, and Couples with no kids make up 78% of who we are. We are now changing careers 3 to 5 times, living longer, and in search for a purposeful life. Wheather it’s health care or affordable aging in place, the challenge of making three wholesome meals for your family everyday, or long commutes, for a great number of Americans needs are not being very well met by the current choices in the marketplace.
If you are a “Boomer” seeking more simplicity, a single seeking deeper connection beyond the dating scene, a retiree not ready to fade away, a single parent, an entrepreneur, or a family with children who yearns for…
- A neighborhood where creativity is encouraged and fostered,
- A community where all are appreciated and celebrated and you experience a profound sense of belonging,
- A life where you enjoy the feeling of safety that comes from the security of your neighborhood “extended family” looking out for you, then…
Your neighborhood is ripe for a make over, and the timing is excellent. The unintended consequences of suburban sprawl have come to light. Innovation is in the air. The Obama Administration has created an Office of Social Innovation. By working inside an economic, ecological and social sustainable framework, we can have a higher quality of life while living lighter on the planet.
Ecological Sustainability-Complex Challenges, Profound Solutions
As you probably are aware, it’s estimated that if everybody on the planet was to have our lifestyle, we’d have to have 4 to 6 more planets of resources. In otherwords, to live in ecological balance, we will have to reduce our consumptive lifestyle something like 75%. Building green homes and buying cars that get higher gas mileage, is a necessary partthat will get us part way, but to have safe streets where children are free to explore their universe, like the Boomers experienced as children, will require a bigger makeover; our neighborhoods will need to go mixed use and mixed income, with lifelong learning and open space.
To be able to grow old, and affordably age in place, we will have to create new neighborhood systems to support the wave of aging Baby Boomers, 1/2 of whom have no retirement.
In the early 70’s when I went to college, I learned about the “J” curves. It was predicted we, as a planet would come into a time around the turn of the Century, 2000, when population growth, and demand for consumer goods, would create Global Warming and shortages of water and other natural resources. Those predictions have come to pass, and now we are faced with projections of horrific consequences if we continue our current lifestyle another 50 years.
Fortunately we have the capacity to rise to the challenge, and learn from the past. In the past century, we rose to the challenges of World Wars. The current times call for an amazing conscious effort, like the Manhattan Project, but on a global scale. This time, the Germans and the Japanese are our allies. This time there is no enemy, except our own obsolete dysfunctional lifestyle.
Village Development of America LLC (ViDA!) is a for-profit development company that facilitates the establishment of sustainable and empowering mixed-used, mixed-income neighborhoods, so that we can all live in vibrant, alive communities, and prosper. We’ve created a hands-on Designing Sustainable Neighborhoods Workshop where a large assortment of these compelling possibilites are presented. Participants join together in groups of 4-8 and amazing redesigns of existing neighborhoods happen in 1 – 1 1/2 hours.