Edging Forward by Ann Dale
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Chapter 4: Three Little Pigs
July 30, 2015
The Personal Imperative
This chapter draws on the critical role of getting your house in order, sustainable infrastructure and transportation infrastructure, before you begin the big issues, getting energy right, densification, enhancing social connectivity by increasing green space and eliminating dead space. It also illuminates the co-benefits of acting in one area, leading to spill-over benefits in others. For example, densification leads to improved health outcomes, as more people walk in their neighbourhoods. A recent Time magazine article pointed to a co-benefit from Obama care, very unanticipated. The ‘sharing economy’ is growing, why? Because people are no longer hanging onto jobs they dislike because they need the health benefits, they are now free to take more risk and innovate.
Chapter Quote
“The way we design our neighbourhoods and our cities shapes our habits, affects our health, and our relationships to one another and to our sense of place. If you don’t know a place, you can’t love it, and you won’t save it. This applies equally to biodiversity; if you have no opportunity to see flora and fauna, to experience wilderness, to feel the wind rustling through the trees, the sun on your face, or watch creatures in a stream. We can redesign our built environment to reintegrate nature and biodiversity into our lived urban experiences.” (p. 51)
– Ann Dale, Edging Forward: Achieving Sustainable Community Development
Audio
July 25, 2015
“Google builds an AI to fight online hatred” on Spark with Nora Young (1:39)
CBC Radio. (12, March 2017). Google builds an AI to fight online hatred. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/348-everyone-s-a-musician-no-one-is-the-boss-1.4015088
Rooting out the trolls turns out the be harder than expected.
“The Enright Files – Ideas to make a better world” on Ideas with Paul Kennedy
CBC Radio. (2, January 2017). Ideas to make a better world” on Ideas with Paul Kennedy. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/the-enright-files-ideas-to-make-a-better-world-1.3911311
Many of the things we take for granted in Canada — universal health care, public pensions, a five-day work week — were once considered utopian pipe dreams. The same is true of a lot of current ideas to make a better world and improve our quality of life: they endure ridicule and pushback until some brave souls flout conventional wisdom and try them out. This month on The Enright Files, ideas to improve our communities, our countries and our quality of life.
“The Lonely Generation and More” on Spark with Nora Young
CBC Radio. (20, November 2016). The Lonely Generation and More. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/335-the-lonely-generation-and-more-1.3853837
You’ve got the Facebook account, and Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Gchat, all the chats! But in spite of it all, do you ever feel…lonely? A special look at loneliness in our ultra-connected age.
Video
July 20, 2015
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
24 Hour Fitness. (2012, May 11). 23 and ½ Hours [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/3F5Sly9JQao
This animated video, narrated by Dr. Mike Evans, shows that walking for 30 minutes a day is the best thing you can do for your health and overall quality of life.
Bienentanz GmbH. (2006, June 2). Bee Dance (Waggle Dance) [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com
Honeybees perform a unique dance, called the “waggle dance”, to communicate the direction in which their hivemates must fly to find a food source.
George Carlin Talks About “Stuff”
Cappy NJ. (2007, May 1). George Carlin Talks About “Stuff” [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/MvgN5gCuLac
George Carlin’s classic standup routine about the importance of ‘Stuff’ in our lives. This video documents his appearance at Comic Relief in 1986.
Will Work For
CRCResearch RRU. (2015, July 28). Will Work For [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/JapXJ8p8tNM
Created through a partnership between Community Research Connections and students of Royal Roads University’s Professional Communications program, this video explores both the constraints for engaging in meaningful work and the opportunities for integrating people’s values, passions and lifestyles into their working lives. The video was produced as a part of the Solutions Agenda (http://crcresearch.org/solutions-agenda), a research project that thematically explores innovations for achieving sustainable communities.
Leading the Way to Sustainability
CRCResearch RRU. (2015, April 22). Leading the Way to Sustainability [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/snVfUfPdZtM
Created by students of Royal Roads University’s Professional Communications program, this video expresses the importance of moving toward renewable energy sources and features the solar project of T’Sou-ke First Nation. Many thanks to Ahousaht and T’Sou-ke First Nations for their help in making this video possible. For more information on the T’Sou-ke Solar Project, visit the Meeting the Climate Change Challenge (MC3) website and read the case study (http://www.mc-3.ca/tsou-ke), or visit the T’Sou-ke Nation website (http://www.tsoukenation.com).
CRCResearch RRU. (2013, July 22). Space and Time [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Snm-iNW0i-g
This video was a presentation made to the recent Spaces and Flows conference in Amsterdam, on November 23, 2013. Professor Ann Dale, Dr. Lenore Newman and Rob Newell explore what makes a place special, how people move through a space, what makes a person keep coming back again and again. The dynamic interplay of place, space, and time is examined through the video’s imagery and flow.
CRCResearch RRU. (2013, July 22). Place, a place called ‘home’ [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/_issBjWokh4
Created through a partnership between the Community Research Connections program and students of Royal Roads University’s Professional Communications program, this video explores what contributes to a ‘sense of place’. Through contrasting ‘dead spaces’ (i.e., singular purpose or abandoned spaces) with ‘vital spaces’ (i.e., multi-functional, vibrant spaces), the video aims to illustrate how the way a community is developed can influence the sense of place, or feeling of connectedness, in and among members of the respective community. Taipale (2006) describes dead space as “space without any reading or memories, a place of total alienation”. This considered, revitalization of dead spaces is a step toward reducing this alienation, contributing to connectedness, and, perhaps, cultivating a place that one considers as ‘home’.
CRCResearch RRU. (2013, July 22). Speed, Pace and Acceleration [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/HTvuslaCMxQ
Created through a partnership between the Community Research Connections program and students of Royal Roads University’s Professional Communications program, this video examines how modern technologies have affected the speed and pace of our lifestyles. The video complements research done by Community Research Connections on the ‘de-growth’ movement (a movement exploring alternatives to traditional paradigm of constant economic growth) in the manner that it prompts us to think about the meaning of progress and growth in the context of modern day society. Our societies continually experiences technological and economic growth, but what does this mean in terms of our well-being as people and communities? What does it truly mean to ‘progress’?
Let’s Move Forward with a Clean Slate
CSNBC. (2016, December 13). Bill Gates On Clean Energy, Donald Trump, And Stocks (Full Interview) | Squawk Box | CNBC [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/S5WJ11difCY
Bill Gates on CSNBC discussing clean energy alternatives. Gates and his partners are investing in clean energy innovation, with the goal that the right innovation will make alternatives cheaper than fossil fuels.
The History of Urbanization: 3700 BC – 2000 AD
Max. (2016, June 15). The History of Urbanization: 3700 BC – 2000 AD [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/yKJYXujJ7sU
This map visualizes the history of urban settlements over 6,000 years. The data shown in the map comes from a Yale-led study published in Scientific Data, which compiled the most comprehensive dataset on historical urban populations to date.
Watch How Fast the World Became Obese
Metrocosm. (2016, July 18). Watch How Fast the World Became Obese [Video File]. Retrieved from http://metrocosm.com/map-world-obesity/
Over the last 40 years, obesity rates around the world have ballooned. The average adult today is 3x as likely to be obese compared to the average adult in 1975. This map shows how it happened, country-by-country. The color of each county represents its adult obesity rate in the year shown. Hover over a country to see what its obesity rate was in 1975 and what it is today.
Suzanne Simard: How trees talk to each other
TED. (June 2016). Suzanne Simard: How trees talk to each other [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other
“A forest is much more than what you see,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk, often and over vast distances. Learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes.
Using Nature’s Genius in Architecture
TED. (Novemer 2010). Michael Pawlyn: Using nature’s genius in architecture [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com
Micheal Pawlyn shares why architects should look to systems found in nature for inspiration. He explores how “three habits of nature”—radical resource efficiency, closed loops, and drawing energy from the sun—can help us design a beautiful and sustainable world.
These Streets Were Made for Walking
TEDxMidAtlantic. (2013, October). Jeff Speck: 4 ways to make a city more walkable [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/
Urban planner Jeff Speck describes simple ways to turn a car-centric urban design into a safer, more livable, and walkable city.
Why solar power is spreading so fast in Africa
The Economist. (2015). Why solar power is spreading so fast in Africa. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/tkvbZ0ADmz0
Solar is giving hundreds of millions of Africans access to electricity for the first time.
Academic Articles
July 15, 2015
Dale, A., & Newman, L. (2005). Sustainable development, education and literacy. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 6(4), 351-362. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/
Newman, L., & Dale, A. (2013). Celebrating the mundane: Nature and the built environment. Environmental Values, 22(3), 401-413.
Willis, K. J., Jeffers, E. S., & Tovar, C. (2018). What makes a terrestrial ecosystem resilient?. Science, 359(6379), 988-989.
July 10, 2015
Africa: A Brightening Continent. (2015, January 15). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Air pollution: Cleaning up the data. (2016, July 28). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
A lack of parking spots worries Chinese car-owners: China’s other car problem. (2016, October 27). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Anyone want a power station? (2015, November 12). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Carrington, D. (2016, May 15). Church offers its spires as beacons for those without fast broadband. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/
Climate change: Hopelessness and determination. (2015, December 19). The Guardian. Retrived from https://www.theguardian.com/
Distasio, J. (2017, October 30). Here’s what we can do to bring down the high cost of homelessness. Huffington Post. Retrived from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/
Energy and technology: Let there be light. (2015, January 7). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
India and the environment: Catching up with China. (2015, October 10). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Infrastructure in the rich world: Building works. (2015, August 27). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Galka, M. (2017, January 3). How the world got fat: a visualisation of global obesity over 40 years. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com
Kingsolver, B. (2016, January 18). #MeToo isn’t enough. Now women need to get ugly. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/
Loneliness is a serious public-health problem. (2018, September 1). The Economist. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/
McDonald, B. (2016, June 17). Hydrogen continues to be fuel of the future: Bob McDonald. CBC. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/
Mooney, C. (2016, July 11). Global warming has caused clouds to move in a way that will make the planet even hotter, scientists say. National Post. Retrieved from http://www.nationalpost.com
Mulgan, Geoff. (2017, February 9). Social innovation – the last and next decade [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://www.nesta.org.uk
New Business Models: All Change. (2015, January 15). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Norris, J. R., Allen, R. J., Evan, A. T., Zelinka, M. D., O’Dell, C. W., & Klein, S. A. (2016). Evidence for climate change in the satellite cloud record. Nature. doi: 10.1038/nature18273
Off-grid solar: Africa unplugged. (2016, October 29). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Peters, A. (2017, December 6). This Underground Urban Farm Also Heats The Building Above It”. Fast Company. Retrived from https://www.fastcompany.com/
Roberts, J. (2016, March 2). Clean disruption? Stanford group plans for 100% green-energy future. CBC News. Retrived from http://www.cbc.ca/
Staley, W. (2018, January 23). When ‘Gentrification’ Isn’t About Housing. New York Times. Retrived from https://www.nytimes.com/
Struzik, Ed. (2016, May 7). Fort Mac Blaze: Brace for New Era of Infernos. The Tyee. Retrieved from https://thetyee.ca
Stapleton, J. (2017). A Basic Income for Canadians: What would happen. Retrieved from http://metcalffoundation.com
Traffic in megacities: Jam today. (2016, February 25). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Urban sprawl: Bourgeois shanty towns. (2016, June 30). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Water scarcity: Liquidity crisis. (2016, November 5). The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/
Other Interesting Stuff
July 5, 2015
Obesity System Influence Diagram
shiftN. (2007). Obesity System Influence Diagram. Retrieved from http://www.shiftn.com/obesity/Full-Map.html
Sustainable Canada Dialogues (2015). Acting on Climate Change: Solutions from Canadian Scholars. Retrieved from http://sustainablecanadadialogues.ca/en/scd/endorsement