How is a masterfully crafted and portrayed story like Downton Abbey (currently being aired on PBS Masterpiece Theatre) an analog for today's down town world scene? Set in an English stately home just before WWI, the story is about the shifting of worldviews from traditional to modern. It uses cracks in the system of land/estate ownership, class and gender [...]
Rumi said that "for every garden we tend without, we tend 10,000 gardens within". Such is the power of consciousness. It is our leverage beyond the material world into an imaginary/imagining world with infinite possibilities and directions for growth. I am always looking for the natural laboratories that show us how communities self-organize and emerge into [...]
At the World Planners Congress (WPC), in June, 2006 I witnessed a notable public paradigm shift when Planning Leaders from around the world issued a position paper on the New Urban Planning (Farmer et al., 2006). In 2006, the authors stated that New Urban Planning was smart planning because it is a responsive learning system. [...]
October Greetings, Integral City-zens and Friends of Integral City Today's Integral City Sparkie for the City Heart: When the energy from battles [in the city] has transformed relationships, and inquiry has born fruit, the cadence shifts to one of creativity. A creative rhythm is characterized by the flex and flow of cool jazz, where the performance of [...]
Globe City Awards has announced the commencement of the 2010 awards process. The overview can be found here http://globeaward.org/sustainable_city . This award focuses on a holistic approach to Sustainability in cities and integrates different types of resources or capital for a better future in cities around the world. The Conceptual approach is to use the different [...]
I have been watching the outcome (or not?) of the recent Australian election with some interest. I have been thinking about swarming (as in what can we learn from the bees when they swarm?). My bee sources (books, articles, movies) tell me that the swarming process is a kind of hive decision. That when it [...]
Terry Patten, Founder of Integral Spiritual Practice and a lifelong activist recently spoke at the Integral Theory Conference at JFKU on Integral Activism. I found Terry's approach to be very relevent to influencing and delivering change in the Integral City. Terry's three part strategy is refreshingly practical. It embraces a personal commitment to develop one's capacity and [...]
In tonight's Winter Olympics Closing Ceremonies, we saw, heard, smelled, tasted, felt the dream of the north shift. From our traditional Canadian stance of modesty and self-deprecation, we shifted into claiming the gold of self-identity - an identity that transcends and includes the nations of the world. The presence of 2600 athletes from around the [...]
When on the same day I receive news from Integral Heart/Life leader Terry Patten and Economist Hazel Henderson about a recent US Supreme Court decision, I pay attention. The impact the Supreme Court's decision on funding political adverstising will not just be felt in the USA, but will impact decision making, corporate conduct and ethical guidelines [...]
Vancouver is contemplated by Kim Murphy from the shadows of Los Angeles, for both its sustainable pluses and its sustainable cautions. As Vancouver is in the final month to the Winter Olympics, it will be interesting to see how its commitment to sustainability is played out for the world to see and consider whether it [...]