100 resilient cities project

October 2, 2019 Souwie

‘The purpose of the city is human flourishing’, so wrote Aristotle more than a millennium ago. His words seem prophetic given the exponential growth of cities in recent centuries. Indeed the UN predicts that two thirds of the global population will live in cities by 2050. But what is the future of cities? Are they already a thing of the past as some philosophers suggest? Do they carry in them the seeds of their own destruction or, are they hubs of plurality, transformation and resilience? I recently investigated the 100 Resilient Cities initiative – a global project involving over 150 million dollars of funding by the Rockefeller Foundation. Its goal: to help cities prepare themselves for the future.

The first cities grew up in Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq, around 7500 BC. Although there are differing opinions on how exactly one defines a city, most agree that they initially took the form of dense settlements, often around a stable water source such as a river or natural springs. The benefits of these concentrated settlements included the sharing of ideas and natural resources, large local markets, reduced transport costs and even amenities such as running water and sewage disposal. There were disadvantages too of course – increased living costs, traffic and pollution and higher crime and mortality rates. Not so different from today.

‘A Europe of cities is an alternative to a Europe of fatherlands’ – Ramoneda

Cities have also tended to be centers of political power, seats of statehood. Philosophers have long recognised the importance of cities in the development of societies run by civilians rather than the aristocracy and religious leaders. Today, large urban centers attract a wide variety of people and ideas that make them hubs of plurality and freedom. Catalonian intellectual, Josep Ramoneda, describes cities as ‘spaces of political articulation’ and argues that they might hold the key to a more integrated Europe. He sees ‘a Europe of cities as an alternative to a Europe of fatherlands’. And argues that ‘a city generates much less patriotism than a nation’ while still providing a focus for individual and group identity.

Cities have traditionally been defined in contrast to the country or rural areas. The town vs country trope is common in literature and film. Both positive and negative interpretations abound, particularly with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. In his famous poem, ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge, 1802’, William Wordsworth celebrates the majesty of the city of London. Its ‘mighty heart lying still’, bathed in the morning light. Socrates himself wrote, ‘I’m a lover of learning and trees and open country won’t teach me anything, whereas men in the city do.’ But as urban sprawl increases and virtual spaces take over from concrete notions of territory, communities are increasingly linked by information highways, rather than streets and squares. What does this mean for our sense of identity as citizens and taxpayers? Research in the US shows, for example, that the sharp decline in community newspapers in the last decade has fractured senses of community.

So what then is the function of a city? This question has been much debated by city leaders, town planners, philosophers and citizens for centuries. Senior Planning Officer at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, UK, Ben Hockman, told me about some of the most influential ideas regarding the design and function of a city. The notion of the ‘Garden City’, brainchild of Ebenezer Howard, was inspired in 1898 by a desire to ‘marry town and country’. This involved the creation of self-contained communities surrounded by green belts (a feature we still see today) containing proportionate areas of industry, residence and agriculture.

‘Putting all our stock in Smart Cities is probably not the answer – Hockman.

New Urbanism, which grew up in the United States in the 1980’s, focuses on the creation of ‘walkable’ neighbourhoods. Blocks and streets are therefore pedestrian friendly and housing and shopping are in close proximity to accessible public spaces. The focus is thus on human-scale urban design. Moving further into the future is the concept of the Smart City. By integrating information and communication technology, these urban centres use the Internet of Things to collect data. This is then used to optimally manage relevant assets and resources. As Ben points out however, ‘putting all our stock in Smart cities is probably not the answer’. But he does support the banning of cars and stresses the importance of cities working with and from their strengths, as few can ‘start from scratch’.

With this in mind, I decided to investigate a recent (2013 – 2019) world-wide initiative, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. The 100 Resilient Cities project places the concept of resilience at the center of their model for cities of the future. Focusing on the key question: how can modern cities be more resilient, it includes exploration of issues ranging from security and community, to transport and sustainability. I spoke with the Hague’s Chief Resilience officer, Anne-Maire Hittipeuw, about how this medium size, Dutch city is responding to the increasingly complex needs of a 21^st century city. ‘Cyber attacks, digitization and segregation are all challenges that many cities, including the Hague, face’ she told me.

‘Being part of a large network of cities makes it really easy to exchange ideas’ – Hittipeuw

With this in mind, the Hague city council has developed a range of small projects designed to foster larger ideals. These include, empowering citizens, creating livable, cohesive neighbourhoods and promoting justice. So the Hague Buddies app has been designed to encourage interaction between long-time residents of the city and refugees. Its format is similar to that of a dating app but the intention is to promote friendly interactions between individuals, based on age and interests. The city council also encourages the adoption of solar energy and greening efforts by subsidizing solar panels, green roofs and white spaces for citizens. Co-housing, co-working and co-living spaces in unused buildings is another initiative to promote integration between different age and race groups. There are many more.

As British poet, William Cowper, once wrote, ‘God made the country and man made the town’. The city has been and always will be a space for humanity. But exactly what shape and form that will take, remains to be seen.

September 25, 2019 Souwie

Community currencies have existed for decades but with the advent of localism amid rising concerns about climate change and globalisation, they’re gaining ground worldwide. The backing of a digital ‘City Currency’ by the 100 Resilient Cities project including London, Tel Aviv and Cape Town, highlights this trend. But are card, paper-backed or even crypto-based community currencies really so different from hard cash? What about a system based on the exchange of time? I recently investigated Timebanking in the Hague – this system places time rather than money at the center of exchange, with surprising results.

Community currencies are not new, nor is there a shortage of them. Forbes magazine claims there are more than 10 000 currently in operation worldwide. One of the first such currencies was created in Switzerland as far back as 1934. The WIR currency was introduced to ease problems with liquidity in wake of the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression. It is no coincidence then that community currencies have multiplied since the 2008 financial crisis.

Community currencies can help reduce banking charges.

The idea behind many of them is to encourage spending on local businesses thus strengthening local industry while keeping the money in local circulation. With ever increasing concerns about climate change, specifically the reduction of our carbon footprints, fostering local business seems even more important. Reduced banking charges also make it attractive for small local businesses. There is also the social aspect of fostering an increased sense of community. Some, like Samen Doen in the southern Netherlands, are designed to include social incentives that encourage civic-minded activities such as helping the elderly or cleaning the local park.

New technologies like smart phones and blockchain have the potential to transform community currencies. I recently learnt about digital currency Colu. Designed by a company in Tel Aviv, it uses cryptocurrency to increase economic activity within communities. Supported by the Rockefeller Centre’s 100 Resilient Cities project, Colu was founded in 2014. It already runs four community currencies in Tel Aviv, Haifa, London and Liverpool. How does it work exactly? Colu issues a local digital currency specific to a community within a major city. This currency is pegged to the city’s national fiat currency and can be used at all participating local businesses.

Digital community currencies – bringing cryptocurrency to the masses?

Colu runs on a smartphone app. Although the company maintains that its long term vision is to ‘create strong local communities by bringing cryptocurrency to the masses’, the system is profit based. Businesses at the end of the community currency chain must pay 1.5% to cash-out back to normal currency. Although this digital currency is free of the financial overheads associated with paper currency and provides financial incentives to attract new users, there are some drawbacks. Most notably the profit-based nature of this venture raises questions about what would happen if it no longer made a profit. There are also the potentially alienating effects of its app-based nature, which might work against the creation of a stronger sense of community.

What if we exchanged time instead of money?

Many community currencies like Colu and its predecessors, continue to focus on money (albeit in somewhat different form) as the medium of exchange. But what if we used time instead? I recently investigated a small but fairly long-running initiative called Timebank as an alternative. Based in the Hague, Amsterdam and Brussels, this community-based initiative involves payment in Time Hours. Anyone can register via their website and once you’ve created a profile, you are ready to begin earning Time Hours. This is done through advertising skills/ services that you have to offer. All services are created equal. That is, one hour of gardening is equal in value to one hour of Spanish conversation class or website design.

Over the years, the Timebank community in the Hague has grown. It has recently gone into partnership with an organisation called Lekkernassuh (meaning ‘good grub’ in the local dialect). It describes itself as an organised community of people who are ‘working together toward the vision of a fair, local food system.’ Run by volunteers, it sources seasonal fruit and vegetable from local farmers for weekly delivery in the Hague region. Previously paid with free veg, volunteers are now paid in Timebank Hours. The local Timebank economy has expanded as a result.

Nevertheless, as a Timebanker myself, I acknowledge that exchange on the Timebank system is slow. It can also be difficult to earn one’s first few Timebank hours. Both parties must find the time to complete the exchange, in some cases it can take a number of hours. For example, repair to the back wheel of my bicycle took over two Timebank Hours. While the building of a pizza oven took as much as 10 hours. Also noticeable, is the fact that the majority of exchanges are service-based. Bike repair, photography, painting lessons, proof-reading or babysitting, this system requires material goods to be purchased with Euros.

Timebanking encourages a shift of perspective.

Timebanking is definitely not the most efficient form of exchange. It takes time and payment would, ideally, be re-calibrated to reflect differing levels of skill and expertise. Nevertheless, it does create a shift in perspective. Placing time at the centre of exchange forces one to reassess one’s priorities. Is it imperative that one gets that hair cut tomorrow or could it wait until next week or even the week after?

I had to wait a while to get my bike repaired. Initially I felt frustrated by the inconvenience. But then I accepted the waiting time and realised that we have become conditioned to expect it all here and now. The faster, the better apparently. But with Timebank, the focus shifts from speed of service to the quality of exchange. One gets to know people in one’s local community. You learn to accept that not all services are perfect but this is ok. Paid services are seldom all perfect either. It’s clear that Timebanking could not stand alone as a system of exchange. But its ability to foster a sense of community via the prioritization of time over money is unique.