Community Survival

[Evan]

Is anyone thinking in terms of intentional urban communities as a way to survive/thrive in the post oil world?

It's hard to let go of cynicism about the ability of people to cooperate and tolerate each other in close groups, but it is equally hard to imagine that life after oil can be sustained without close community.

[Joe Davis]

Cooperation aside, can you grow enough food and collect enough drinking water for a large number of people in a small area in a post-carbon world? Oh, and produce enough energy for these people from within that same area? The days of giant power plants and miles of high tension wires will also be coming to an end.

[Evan]

So what then are you saying about communities?

[Joe Davis]

Well you mentioned urban communities. We'll still rely on each other on a community level since a family can't provide everything needed.. specializations in labor allow for more productivity, and humans are social creatures.. but the idea of anything being "urban" again won't happen.

[Evan]

I guess I'm not sure what you mean by urban. Do you suppose that there will be no city-like settlements of people? That all will revert to a rural model?

[Joe Davis]

If food has to be transported to be consumed in a place other than near where it was grown, that will require: 1) a way to move it that doesn't rely on the internal combustion engire, and 2) a motive for doing so. What will be produced in a "city" and distributed to farm areas that can't be made locally? If you think a form of currency that is recognized everywhere as having the same value will exist after Peak Oil, then yes, cities will exist.. although no bigger than any cities of the pre-Industrial era. But if you believe that the financial markets will completely collapse due to Peak Oil, then there will not be any cities in the future. And, don't forget that most major cities of today will be underwater in 100 years, and any future urbanization will only be tolerated so long as it doesn't lead to any air pollution. So my belief is that, no, there will not be any city-like settlements decades from now.

[Evan]

Still though, some form of transition will have to be weathered, and it seems that the urban environment will be around for a while. So, to me, the first order of business is to find a transitional lifestyle to sustain as we watch how things shake out. In the long run, as you are describing, it's true all bets are off.

[Mike Morin]

Everything we do must be intentional and our intentions need to be the very best.

We need a system of intentional neighborhood-community/inter-community/inter-regional and world-wide communications and economic redevelopment programs based on ecological principles. Included in the main pillars of the program should be peace, equity, and sustainability.

We need fundamental reform of our financial systems.

For more on my ideas, please go to www.peoplesequityunion.blogspot.com ,

I'm a Work kin for peace and cooperation.


With much love and care,

Mike Morin