In the Roseland reading for the week, the concept of "Transition Towns" was introduced as a way for citizens of a community to catalyze change. Specifically, these communities strive to become "self-sufficient and resilient" while moving toward reduced dependence on oil (Roseland, 2012). The movement begins at the grassroots level, as opposed to the traditional top-down scheme utilized for so many years, although these activated citizens are encouraged to "engage local government" in their efforts to effect the change they want to see. Here is a great introduction to the movement and the methods they hope to employ:
Did you know that at this moment, as you are reading this, you are part of the transition? It's true! In 2010, the city of Bloomington announced their intention to reduce their dependence on oil and become a transition town. Interestingly enough, the announcement of the idea and movement to the larger community was conducted by the Mayor of Bloomington and several council members at the time, after motivated and vocal residents of the area demonstrated their concern to the local government. The announcement was accompanied by a day-long town meeting in which citizens were invited by the local government to join them in brainstorming ideas to achieve the goal of reducing oil reliance in the city of Bloomington. For more information on the set-up for the day, click here for the formal press release.
The Transition Town movement, often seen as a product of the UN's Agenda 21 we read earlier in the semester, is not without its detractors. Enjoy this video expressing concern about some of the land use and zoning issues coming up due to the movement:
Fascinating viewpoints emerge regarding some of the best practices Transition Towns encourage and which we have learned this semester. The charming host of the segment refers to "high-density prison cities" in reference to the encouragement of higher-density housing in urban areas. A Georgia man's death is attributed to the demands of the movement.
Normally, these types of videos seem to be distributed amongst a small group of extremist factions. Unfortunately, this video has been online for about a year, has garnered over 20,000 views, and was prominent on many Tea Party websites I visited when researching this issue. Especially when considering the participation of the Tea Party, an influential and real political movement, it is possible that the detractors would gain traction against sustainable community development. How real do you think the threat of opposing opinions is on this movement?
References
Roseland, M. (2012). Toward sustainable communities: solutions for their citizens and their goverments. New society publishers: Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada
Definitely a great idea! I wonder how this movement will play out in terms of equity. Not every town has the resources to become self-sufficient and will still likely maintain dependency on other non-local energy sources. Granted, the notion of transition towns is that progress is supposed to be planned and slow, but I hope it doesn't lead to greater inequities in underprivileged areas.
For those who are interested in what Bloomington's transition movement is up to you can check out their website: http://www.transition-bloomington.org/ They seem to still be working on planning and organizing and haven't really held any events since they announced themselves. I tried to view their "events calender" under the "Events" tab, but I don't have permission to view it. So maybe they have held events since then? Doesn't exactly seem like a great way to let people know about any events they may be doing. The website does have a lot of useful information.
This is really neat but I think it's interesting that this is the first I've heard of it since it began three years ago. Like Nate brought up, their website isn't even inviting. If they want to spread the word and have people be involved in this transition, they should make citizens key players in the movement, asking for input and such.
Definitely a great idea! I wonder how this movement will play out in terms of equity. Not every town has the resources to become self-sufficient and will still likely maintain dependency on other non-local energy sources. Granted, the notion of transition towns is that progress is supposed to be planned and slow, but I hope it doesn't lead to greater inequities in underprivileged areas.
ReplyDeleteFor those who are interested in what Bloomington's transition movement is up to you can check out their website: http://www.transition-bloomington.org/
ReplyDeleteThey seem to still be working on planning and organizing and haven't really held any events since they announced themselves. I tried to view their "events calender" under the "Events" tab, but I don't have permission to view it. So maybe they have held events since then? Doesn't exactly seem like a great way to let people know about any events they may be doing. The website does have a lot of useful information.
This is really neat but I think it's interesting that this is the first I've heard of it since it began three years ago. Like Nate brought up, their website isn't even inviting. If they want to spread the word and have people be involved in this transition, they should make citizens key players in the movement, asking for input and such.
ReplyDelete