Originally published on thenextsystem.org This week we are talking about deepening democracy in our communities through participatory budgeting and participatory decision making more broadly. We’re joined by three great guests: Shari Davis of the Participatory Budgeting Project, Lorian Ngarambe of the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, and Yale University Ph.D. student Alexander Kolokotronis. Adam Simpson: Welcome to… Continue reading
Anticipatory Innovation: Integrating the Shadow of Design
*This is an essay based on a talk given at Centro University in Mexico City, for the Design of Tomorrow Graduate Program, and was published on Medium.com Innovation is an obsession in our current society. We are enamored with technological innovations, we celebrate innovators. We want to be them. And yet when you look closely… Continue reading
Cochabamba, Bolivia: Community-led response to water pollution crisis
Fundación Abril/Platform for public community partnerships (PAPC) Originally published on Transformative Cities An estimated 52% of Bolivia’s population have no access to sanitation and 80% of wastewater is not treated before re-entering the environment. The Water and Sanitation for All project aimed to guarantee the right to sanitation in the San Pedro Magisterio neighbourhood by… Continue reading
And we’re off! The Open Credit Network conducts its first trades
This post by Dave Darby was republished from Open Credit Network Another milestone has been reached in our quest to build a new kind of trading system for the UK. We’ve now completed our first trading loop, which involved Lowimpact.org, Community Regen and Outlandish, two of which are co-operatives. Here’s what Paul, of Community Regen,… Continue reading
Let nature heal climate and biodiversity crises, say campaigners
This post by Damien Carrington is republished from the Guardian.com Restoration of forests and coasts can tackle ‘existential crises’ but is being overlooked The restoration of natural forests and coasts can simultaneously tackle climate change and the annihilation of wildlife but is being worryingly overlooked, an international group of campaigners have said. Animal populations have… Continue reading
Tech Giants are buying and selling our public debates to each other, and it has to stop
This post by Rich Mason was originally published on the RSA.org site Corporate-branded hashtags may seem trivial, but they point to serious structural issues undermining some of our most important conversions. Rich Mason explains. Yesterday, a few days on from the launch of our latest Future Work Centre report, I logged into Twitter to see… Continue reading
Sacred Economics (2019 Remix)
Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth. Video reposted from Youtube Today, these trends have reached their extreme – but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great… Continue reading
Monetary Policy Takes Center Stage: MMT, QE or Public Banks?
Originally published on ellenbrown.com As alarm bells sound over the advancing destruction of the environment, a variety of Green New Deal proposals have appeared in the US and Europe, along with some interesting academic debates about how to fund them. Monetary policy, normally relegated to obscure academic tomes and bureaucratic meetings behind closed doors, has… Continue reading
Alex Pazaitis on Blockchain and P2P value creation in the information economy
Republished from youtube.com Science-fiction or social reality, the Blockchain. Fact. Fiction. Future. event brought together artists, activists, hackers, designers, scientists, sociologists and political scientists to analyse, question, and discuss the distruptive, cultural and creative potential of this technology. iMAL, Brussels, 4 November 2016. Alex Pazaitis (GR) P2P Foundation / P2P Lab Blockchain and P2P value… Continue reading
Networks are not Communities
This post by Henry Mintzberg is republished from Medium.com and mintzberg.org Social media certainly connects us to whoever is on the other end of the line, and so extends our social networks in amazing ways. But this can come at the expense of deeper personal relationships. When it feels like we’re up-to-date on our friends’… Continue reading
Farm Data as Value Added
This post by Jamie Gaehring is republished from Medium.com I said in my last post that putting good software and data into the hands of farmers can profit a local economy, and I’d like to back up that claim a little. I also hinted that the direction in which such data flows is especially important… Continue reading
Enacting the Commons: Expedition 1, Italy
A project to explore how the commons transform public action in Europe Republished from Enacting the Commons In a context of waves of privatization of public properties and services, of austerity policies in recent decades, Italy saw in the 2000s the emergence of a social movement around urban commons, and citizens increasingly the governance of… Continue reading
Sharing Islands 2018 – Michel Bauwens
Republished from Tenerife Colaborativa Michel Bauwens at the 2018 Opening of Tenerife Colaborativa/Sharing Islands 2018: “Cosmo-localism takes place when easily accessible designs are paired with localized and distributed production capabilities using new breakthrough technologies that facilitate local manufacture/production. “
Catalysing collaboration at scale – The Open Co-op
When: Wednesday, 3 April 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm Add to: iCal – gCal (See OPEN COOP website for map and further detail) Could we model a formula for organisational collaboration on three simple rules? Cohesion Seperation Alignment …and define a protocol to aggregate, visualise and disseminate the resultant murmurations? This free webinar on “Catalysing… Continue reading
The Birth of an Open Source Agricultural Community: The Story of Tzoumakers
BY ALEX PAZAITIS | JUNIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, TALLINN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CORE MEMBER, P2P LAB Makers and the related activities are more often observed in vibrant cities, encapsulating diverse communities of designers, engineers and innovators. They flourish around luscious spaces and events, where talent and ideas are abound. Pioneer cities, like Barcelona, Madrid, London, Copenhagen and… Continue reading
Better Work Together: A Short Review
Enspiral is a rather unique organisation, often featured in this blog. Over the years the number of participants, its core structure and overall network have evolved in fascinating and informative ways. This evolution along with the many lessons learned is chronicled in their collective book “Better work together”. As such the book does not theorise…. Continue reading