Helsinki Backcasting Workshop (Nov 24–25): Future landscape 4 - "Happy Communities"

[Simo Vassinen]

This thread follows the findings of the fourth of four groups of the Backcasting Workshop, held Nov 24–25 in Helsinki. The four scenarios are four alternate routes to a sustainable Europe in 2050. During the two days, 60 experts will describe the four scenarios and find out how we were able to reach them by working back through the milestone years 2050–2040–2025–2015.

Happy Communities

Sharing is caring. This is the next level of the welfare state where everyone has a place and way of being useful in a community. A 12-year-old can come up with new innovations just as likely as the elderly population.

If you can share, you thrive. Successful economies are created based on sharing. Everything is co-created, do-it-yourself or at least customized. Societies provide possibilities for everyone to give their input. There really is no gap between consumer and producer. People rarely buy ready services, but commit to longer processes to get what they desire and then share their commodities. Seamless collaboration and idea of avoiding wasting resources form a strong foundation for sustainable lifestyles.

[Nora Brüggemann]

Dear all, I will be part of this Happy Communites group. Looking forward to the face-to-face discussions,  to share our work here and to get insights and comments from our great SPREAD online community. Let us know what you think should be discussed and we will try to include it.

Best regards, Nora

[Sini Hirvonen]

Starting groupwork

[Nora Brüggemann]

Let me share with you initial thoughts based on small working groups discussing for the first time different elements of the scenario "Happy Communities". These first thoughts will furthter be discussed, redesigned, shaped and filled in the next couple of sessions. But enjoy reading them already now:

In 2050 political decision making is...

... more decentralised, bottom-up, informal and consensus based.

... taking place in smaller unites, villages, "tribe" for daily issues.

... taking place on different levels with overlapping communities such as physical / offline and virtual / online.

.... local and global, but maybe less in between.

 

In 2050 cities are:

.... not really cities, but more villages that are self-sufficient

... mirconations that also use local currencies such as "time" as a standard

.... places where culture is everywhere, conducted spontaneously

... linked networks that still enable cooperation and a certain institutional set-up

 

In 2050 ownership is....

... still existing, but will no longer be as important than today,  and exist in more diverse levels such as instead access to products and services is more valuable

.... access however is still dependent on resource availability

... less important, also affected by how consumption is defined

 

In 2050 leisure regneration, development, reflection, time is...

.... connection and specificity and space place is good, but should not be repressive.

... commits privacy

... holistic imagination of what you do with time.

[Satu Lähteenoja]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy communities working hard in 2050.

[Nora Brüggemann]

Public spaces in 2050....

... reinventing public spaces, opportunities to serve each other

... we do not always have to design spaces

... support the ideas of sharing

... are a lot more important as privat living spaces are a lot smaller

... can be physical and virtual

... contribute to supporting the system boundaries such

 

Working space in 2050....

... professions should be opened, based on three different levels

... privat working spot (learn your profession, use your skills), to exchange skilly, spread your knowledge

... have half public space were you meet you fellow professional colleauges

... public spaces that benefit from your skills

 

Home in 2050...

... less private spaces and more shared spaces (playing, eating, working,

... based on flexibility, decisions on what to do in your private space and what you do in the public spaces

... design spaces so that they can be redesigned

 

Discussion points:

- who is managing these spaces? Infrastructure and design are needed to be discussed and considered.

- risk that we are considering communist structures

 

[Mia Paukovic]

A very challenging and exciting vision to think about, it touches on the core of what people are, how they perceive and determine value and how they organize society. What are our fundemental needs and characteristics and what can we still let go? The best part of this vision is reconsidering things we are doing and owning now for the sake of owning and doing them versus the needs we are actually trying to meet by owning , working, living in cities etc.

Still very curious where this gets us and what we perceive to be needed, but realistic change..

 

[Marta Corubolo]

[Marta Corubolo]

what kind of improvements in the infrastructure are needed by 2040?

Happy Communities group is working on it!

[Marta Corubolo]

Idea card: HIGH RISE VILLAGES

... mix zoning for shopping, living, working

... public transportation more decentralized

... flexibility of shared spaces 

 

[Marta Corubolo]

Idea card: LOCAL FOOD DISTRICT PLANNING  

 

... replace part of the car infrastructures by orchards

... nutrient circulation on local level: between cities and sorrounding and inside cities

... management system to exchange goods

... need of store local produced food across the seasons

[Marta Corubolo]

Idea card: SELF SUPPORTING ELDERLY 

 

... elderly skills switchboard

... multiage relevance

... intergenerational housing

... facilitating mobility

[Marta Corubolo]

Idea card: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE COUNTRY SIDE + URBAN MOBILITY OF GOODS

 

... distribution of skill, less specialized production areas

... mobility if needed: car free cities

... flexible spaces for living and working