CitiesGoGreen - December 2008 - (Page 32)

Fast Forward Fast Forward is a place to share your big, innovative, incredibly obvious or ‘on the edge’ ideas, proposals and rants. The subject is how to accelerate progress toward sustainability. Do you see a roadblock to remove, another way of thinking, engaging people, planning or financing? Or something else that would move us forward, fast? Let us know and you could be here in a future issue. You can comment on this column on our website. New Context: New Possibility Peter Block says sustainable communities are impossible without a strong social fabric. A strong social fabric comes from effective conversations, and local government staff is perfectly positioned to convene those conversations. Elizabeth Johnson: In your book, Community, The Structure of Belonging, you talk about the fragmentation of communities and the lack of relatedness and understanding that exists between leaders, citizens, the business sector, the social service sector and so on. However, cities are beginning to recognize the value in transitioning from a state of fragmentation to a state of sustainability and connectedness. What do you think are the most important steps that local governments can take to create sustainable communities? tion, vehicle use, etc., this is an opportunity for citizen engagement. A city can make changes and policies around these issues, but what will really make a city ecologically friendly is the behavior of citizens, not the behavior of governments. power and capacity to care for the wellbeing of the whole. The private sector is really incapable of doing this because of its desire to commercialize all that is common. Encourage accountability Tell a new story Foster connection Peter Block: Local governments can’t focus on the technical aspects of sustainability without also considering the level of connectedness within a community. The reality is that you cannot have an environmentally conscious community if it is fragmented, divided and at odds with itself. Therefore, it is key that city employees believe they have a significant role in helping to build the social fabric of a community. They are perfectly posi- “Cities that are focused on going green are based on a new story.” tioned to help bring citizens together, as well as focus on more technical sustainability issues such as infrastructure, vehicle fleets and green building. The way to build connection is to get citizens in a room together. If sustainability is the issue on the table, it needs citizen support and conversations should to be focused on what their role can be in terms of creating a sustainable community. Every time there is an issue with public transportation, trash consump32 Real change starts with more than a shift Local governments need to stop treating in behavior. It requires a shift in context. citizens like consumers or customers. This Context is decisive and we need to begin only breeds entitlement. Citizens have approaching situations from a framework become so ‘consumerized’ that they want of hospitality, generosity, possibility to outsource all responsibility for the and gifts, as opposed to focusing on our future. Government needs to be the edu- challenges and limitations. A willingness cator and convener of citizens, to confront them with their responsibility to create a posi- “Local governments need to stop treating tive future. The way to do this citizens like consumers or customers. This only is to bring citizens together breeds entitlement.” and encourage them to have conversations with each other about what choices they have. Much of to tell a new story or have a new conthe time they are waiting for somebody versation shows that local governments else to handle their concerns. This attitude are doing more than just memorizing is what makes our world unsustainable or imitating a bunch of techniques and because it carries no accountability and methodologies that will change nothing. Cities that are focused on going green only spreads hopelessness. Fundamenare based on a new story. To go green is a tally, the behavior of citizens is what will new possibility. be decisive in sustainable communities. Care for the whole The real role of government and elected officials is to speak for the commons. The most common thing we have is the earth, and we need to care for it. Both citizens and individuals in local governments need to balance personal responsibility with an interest in protecting the greater whole. It is important to understand that we are all both a player and a producer of the future. People need to consider how their role and actions fit into the larger picture and use their Peter Block is an author, consultant, citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio and partner in Designed Learning, which offers workshops on the skills outlined in his books, as an alternative to the patriarchal beliefs that dominate our culture. He works to bring change into the world through consent and connectedness, rather than through mandate and force. With other volunteers, Peter began A Small Group, a network of citizens using the tools of civic engagement. Visit this website at www.asmallgroup. net. He invites correspondence at pbi@att.net. Elizabeth Johnson is a multi-talented person on the CitiesGoGreen staff. December 2008 http://citiesgogreen.com/issues/december-2008/fast-forward/new-context-new-possibilities http://www.asmallgroup.net http://www.asmallgroup.net http://citiesgogreen.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CitiesGoGreen - December 2008

Citites Go Green Contents In Motion We’re Taking Steps 10,000 Rain Gardens in Kansas City Chicago Center for Green Technology Connecticut’s ‘One Thing’ Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Philadelphia The Economics of What Matters New Context: New Possibility

CitiesGoGreen - December 2008

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