As the city becomes more complex individuals, organizations, and community systems interconnect and interplay. Life and death and the health of the city are very much reflected in healthy alignment of the many systems that make up the whole city system (or holarchy).

These different scales of city systems co-exist at different stages of their life cycles – new teams are in formative stages like babies, other associations are shifting into their youth, some organizations act like mature adults and yet other sectors carry the weight of elders. We are all members of these many systems simultaneously.  Our city feels alive and thriving when we can learn in constructive ways across the generational lifescapes.

The quality of life in the micro (individual) reflects the quality of life at the meso (teams and organizations) and the macro (communities and city) and vice versa. All these whole systems (holons and social holons) must be in service to both self and others and place. That is the essence of a healthy life in a healthy living city.

Evolution biologist, Elisabeth Sahtouris offers 15 Principles of Healthy Living Systems which informed both Integral City intelligences and Integral City Book Chapters

[as noted in square brackets] provide powerful guidance for the healthy Human Hive.

Elisabet’s Principles of Living Systems are these:

1. Self-creation or autopoiesis [eco-emergence-living]

2. Complexity or diversity of parts [eco-emergence]

3. Embeddedness in larger holons and dependence on the holarchy  [integral, living]

4. Self reflexivity or autognosis and self-knowledge [integral, Chapters 6 and 8]

5. Self regulation/maintenance or autonomics, balancing efficiency and resilience [integral, living]

6. Response-ability to internal and external stress or change [integral Chapters 5 to 8]

7. Input/output of matter, energy and information with other holons [living, Chapters 5 and 7]

8. Transformation of matter, energy and information; no non-recyclable waste [ living Chapter 5, 7]

9. Communications among all parts [integral, Chapters 10,11,12]

10. Empowerment, full employment of all component parts [meshworking]

11. Coordination of parts and functions [meshworking]

12. Balance of interests negotiated among parts, whole and embedding holarchy [living]

13. Reciprocity of parts in mutual contribution and assistance [living]

14. Conservation of what works well [integral]

15. Innovation, creative change of what does not work well [inquiry]

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Listen to Elisabet Sahtouris at the upcoming eLaboratory.

This blog is a prologue to the Integral City webinar conference  City 2.0 Co-Creating the Future of the Human Hive . We are inventing a new operating system for the city.  Click to get more details re the Free Expo and eLaboratory membership  scheduled September 4-27  2012. You are invited to attend and participate.