The city can save the planet

The facilitator asked us to do some dream-work.  That’s normally not so hard, but there we were, standing in an awkward-shaped T-allotment strewn with bits of broken glass and featuring some derelict out-buildings.  The site had previously been a city recycling depot and in a way one of our goals was to continue that recycling heritage.  We were asked to dream of what the features would be for our ideal sustainable-living community on the site.  It all seemed pretty much pie-in-the-sky, but the suggestions rolled in.  We wanted a green community, comfortable for the residents but kind to the environment; something that would significantly cut our environmental footprint.  We wanted a working alternative to urban sprawl.  We wanted to help heal the web of life by bringing biodiversity back into the city.  And we wanted it to be a community, not just a collection of disconnected dwellings.

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