Cities for Change

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.

Since the eruption of “Fridays for Future” demonstrations on world streets in 2019, the ECOLISE network has been developing the “Communities for Future” action platform to accelerate the eco-social just transition.

This event explores how best community-led initiatives that have been hovering at the periphery, can emerge to become catalysts for system change, making the old structures obsolete. For this event, they invite some of their 40+ member groups and allies to explore how best community-led initiatives that have been hovering at the periphery, can emerge to become catalysts for system change.

On May 26th, ECOLISE invites 8 communities to respond to 4 specific questions about Regeneration:

Social: How can we bring regenerative design ideas from ecovillages to our cities, especially when urban injustice continues to grow? (Global Ecovillage Network & UrbanA)

Cultural: How can we bring about a culture of resistance and regeneration that is accessible to all? (Fridays for Future + Communities for Future)

Ecology: How can we bring our ecological ideas out of the academic and activist ghettos to the streets and everyday social movements? (Degrowth & Transition Network)

Economy: Imagining an end to capitalism, instead of the end to the world… How best can community-led initiatives bring about territorial transformation, policy change and system change? (Doughnut Economics & Regenerative Practitioners)

The Structure of the event is the following:

·      5 min: Introduction    

·      25min: Framing of Questions           

·      40min: 4 Simultaneous Breakout Rooms

·      10min: Plenary           

·      40min: Open Discussion (Audience Q+A)

Each Breakout Room explores 1 separate question with 2 guest networks, represented by the following activists: 

Social: Taisa Mattos (Rio da Janeiro, Brazil) Global Ecovillage Network, & TBC, UrbanA

Cultural: TBC, Fridays for Future + Juan Del Rio (Cardedeu, Spain), Communities for Future

Ecology: Filka Sekulova (Barcelona, Spain), Degrowth & Nick Anim (Brixton, London, UK), (part of) Transition Network

Economy: Roisin Markham (Wexford, Ireland), Doughnut Economics & Constança Belchior (Tavira, Portugal), Regenerative Practitioners

The event is inspired by Global Ecovillage Network‘s “5 Dimensions of Sustainability” (Whole System is the workshop itself). Key insights will be harvested. This is the 1st step in a journey, the next step will be in early July with the wider Fearless Cities movement, then COP26 in Glasgow.

ECOLISE is the the European Network for Community-Led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability. Communities for Future is its Action Platform. Event registration here.

Communities for Future, Resources https://communitiesforfuture.org/get-resources/

Status Report on Community-led Action on Sustainability Climate Change In Europe (ECOLISE, 2019)

Status-Report-on-Community-led-Action-on-Sustainability-Climate-Change-in-Europe-2019.pdf 

Could Amsterdam’s Radical New Economic Theory Replace Capitalism? (Time / Doughnut Economics)

https://time.com/5930093/amsterdam-doughnut-economics/

Collecting building blocks for sustainable and just cities — Insights from the “Berlin” Arena (UrbanA)

https://medium.com/urban-arenas-for-sustainable-and-just-cities/collecting-building-blocks-for-sustainable-and-just-cities-insights-from-the-berlin-arena-6ce9b69839a2

Towards a necessary regenerative urban planning. Insights from community-led initiatives for ecocity transformation

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350903100_Towards_a_necessary_regenerative_urban_planning_Insights_from_community-led_initiatives_for_ecocity_transformation 

From #FridaysForFuture to #CommunitiesForFuture

https://duncan-crowley.medium.com/from-fridaysforfuture-to-communitiesforfuture-dbcd0d65ede5 

Communities of Practice, leveraging impact by learning together

https://medium.com/communities-for-future/communities-of-practice-leveraging-impact-by-learning-together-621a27410ca5

This event is one of the “Transition Talks” that are happening as part of the “Cities for Change” summit. It is part of the “Energy and Climate” track, is fully online and is on Wednesday 26th from 14-16h CEST (13h Lisbon). Cities for Change Forum is a 2-month online program showcasing world-changing ideas in digital and interactive events for building a just, sustainable and equal society from the ground up. The “Transition Talks” are on from May 24th until May 28th.

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