The Lessons of Local
October 30th, 2009When you get down to the local level, Politics tend to be replaced by Pragmatics. There’s less buffoonery and silliness, less Special Interests to deal with. Big Government has too much concentration of power and wealth, when you make the decisions for millions of people and billions of dollars, no wonder corruption is such a wide problem. When you make the decisions for a few thousands, many who you see every day, with a very tight and very dog-eared budget, it keeps you (more) honest.
This blog makes the point that a Sustainable world will be composed of autonomous, smaller communities that band together – yet with technology still operates under more global governance. You get the best of big and small government. We still have a lot to learn before reaching this point, and creating a more sustainable, robust society, and small communities are doing the learning.
Governance – Placing the needs of the community beyond the needs of the few. Example: Do you put a stoplight in front of a Shopping Center? How do you balance the economic needs of a few with the good of the many – put a stoplight in front of the shopping center that pumps money and jobs into the community. Don’t if it doesn’t. Strong Committee, Weak Mayor – In smaller communities, the Mayor is the contact, the face, even the heart, but not the brains and the pocket of the community. The Mayor does what they do best, the Board what they do best.
Self-containment – A community that provides 75% of the services it needs because it recruits/attracts talents and skills needed. Wouldn’t it be great if a City posts on Craigslist an ad for a Web developer, housing provided?
Local Networks – A community setting up trade with neighboring communities to provide both protection, economic stimulus, talent, and to pool buying power. Counties sort of do this, but communities can show a bottoms-up approach rather than top-down.
Environmentally sustainable local transit, local economies – If you work locally, you don’t need to drive everyday to and from work. Possible even in larger communities with a good local transit system, as long as you keep commute time to less than 45 minutes each way.
The Marketplace – Malls replaced community with commerce, but killed a human need. Notice Malls try to look like communities, with street-signs and lampposts, but it’s phony, sterile. Malls are struggling now, and downtowns coming back to life. Shopping where you know everybody and where everybody knows you is the essence of a local economy, and strengthens Communal independence.
Web developer based in Santa Clara, CA