Institute for Planetary Renewal

Sustainable Communities

It is time to rebuild our cities and renew the Earth based upon a new model. The existing infrastructure will inevitably collapse because it was not built on sustainable principles. We begin by deciding what we DO want rather than opposing what exists. A good starting point is patterns.

A pattern is a description of both a problem (or situation) and a solution. The concept was developed by Christopher Alexander and other architects for the purpose of describing the relationship between people and space.

Each category below is developed according to a system of patterns. Each pattern consists of a description of a problem area then a solution, generally in the form of :

Statement: Problem, observation, or situation
Therefore: One or more solutions

Contents

  1. Financial and Legal Structures
  2. Relationships, Values, Ethics, Social Structure
  3. Physical Design
  4. Outreach, Community Awareness
  5. Land Requirements and Search
  6. Information, Education, and Networking
  7. Economics: Right Livelihood - Cottage Industries
IPR Home