Community-led Ecocity Transformation. Developing an Urban Systems Community of Practice Ecosystem
Duncan Crowley delivered the following presentation at the SCORAI (Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative) Webinar Series 2020–2021. The presentation lasted 30 minutes, followed by a Q+A session for 30 minutes. The main presentation was divided into 2 sections. Video of the presentation is found here. The 1st PDF is here, the 2nd here. The presentation was delivered on Monday March 22nd 15–16h CET.
To combat climate breakdown, regenerative action is required. Degrowth criticises sustainability’s relationship to perpetual quantitative growth on a finite planet. Permaculture’s post carbon pathway shows us where we must go, doughnut economics gives us the compass to get there. By developing our urban systems community of practice ecosystem, community-led initiatives that have been hovering at the periphery are emerging to become catalysts for system change, making old structures obsolete. Bridging activism and academia through action research, deepens science, gives transition tools to communities and shapes climate emergency response policy. Ecocity transformations based on regenerative planning move from what, to who and how; unfolding processes of nested communities blossoming to transform their worlds, at all scales; backyard, neighbourhood, city, bioregion. Scaling ecovillage approaches to ecocities demands locally owned, participatory processes remain intact. Fractal-like, multi scaled, community-led, bottom-up governance experiments to enable this, already exist. Re-making our cities is everyone’s business.
Part 1 focuses on the question of “Why are we developing an Urban Systems Community of Practice Ecosystem” and focuses on ongoing work with ECOLISE (European Network for Community-Led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability), UrbanA (Urban Arenas for Sustainable and Just Cities) and Communities for Future.
Part 2 focuses on the action research since 2003 on ecocity projects in Banja Luka, Bosnia; Dublin, Ireland; Barcelona, Spain; Curitiba, Brazil & Lisbon, Portugal. It also focuses on fractal governance issues and Regenerative approaches to responding to Climate Breakdown.
Duncan Crowley is an Irish architect and climate activist exploring community-led ecocities through action research in Dublin, Barcelona, Curitiba and Lisbon. He works with the UrbanA project, ECOLISE (European Network for Community-Led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability) and their Communities for Future action platform. He is a PhD Candidate of Architecture of Contemporary Metropolitan Territories at ISCTE Lisbon and holds an MSc in Environment and Development from UFPR, Curitiba, Brazil. He co-founded Barcelona’s Transition group, has a Permaculture Design Certificate and was part of the 2011 Indignado square occupations. He is part of CE3C & DINÂMIA’CET research groups and participates with DEAL (Doughnut Economics Action Lab) and the Portuguese Degrowth network.
** Related Articles:
- Translocal adventures, Communities of Practice and the TNOC Festival
- Communities of Practice, leveraging impact by learning together
- “Communities for Future” launches in Brussels. Portugal asks Europe to go from sustainability to regeneration
- From #FridaysForFuture to #CommunitiesForFuture
- Portuguese Network for Doughnut Economics begins
- Is Lisbon a Sustainable and Just City?
Perspectives from Europe´s 2020 Green Capital
** Infos:
SCORAI (Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative): https://scorai.net/webinar-series/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQj37Yjvdw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fuspey/status/1374038727564070912
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMuoQW_s5UR/
FB UrbanA: https://www.facebook.com/UrbanArena.project/posts/269486814770224
