I was recently asked the question, What would my perfect town look like? Having a mind that loves a good opportunity to dream, i thought id share what i see..
Firstly, i feel to give more clarity on the direction of this article, i am considering how an integrated, wholistic/whole-system would look, scaled up to that of a village/small town. Given that our current urban areas rely almost completely on the national/privatized utilities and consumer outlets, i feel returning to nature to rebuild community areas, that’s ethos is living to-gather, integrating with nature, learning from the greatest teacher, is the only way to go.
It is pretty clear to me that the current system and infrastructure, sometimes brilliantly designed and engineered others not, is fundamentally flawed, in that many of our systems are not aligned with natural laws. They are designed to be practical and efficient yet often disrupt natural processes and subtle energies . Take water as an example. We have a plethora of processes and pipes that deconstructs the water by forcing unnatural movements and filtration. Water taken straight out of a fresh spring will be structured geometrically, alive and full of natural minerals. Where as the tap water we receive, if drinkable, looses this geometric structure in the way it is forced unnaturally through the pipping.
Housing construction is another. very practical and often cost effective, yet built with little consideration of natural geometric structures outside of the 4×4 cube matrix construction we have been knocking up for too long. Nothing in nature has straight lines yet the vast majority of our buildings are these box like structure, that to me, feel stifling.
The towns i am familiar with in the UK for example, are nearly all concrete. Pavements, roads, office and apartment blocks, supermarkets and malls. Great for use of function but not to great when you like in a town and there are barely any trees or grounding soil to walk on.
A major dysfunction of our urban areas is the over production and consumption of products and disposing of the waste. As well our dumping our waste into water, through sewers to our oceans, we are breaking a fundamental cycle of nature. What we eat (ideally fresh fruits, and vegetables) should be passed through us, back onto the earth, for the seeds we excrete to be fertilized. It doesn’t take a smarty pants to imagine what shit is like sitting in water.. not good.This type of ignorant foundations must be eliminated for wholistic communities to integrate with the wider natural eco-system.
Instead of focusing too much on and highlighting what is wrong with our current infrastructure, i will now focus on how i see my perfect town.
As im writing this article, i do not consider myself to be an expert in any particular field in regards to the multitude of disciplines it takes to build a wholistic community; however i have a vision. Taking what ive learnt from others who have more experience than me in their fields, and what i have felt to be true and aligned with natural law and processes, as i feel and know it, i will share what that vision looks like.
This community i dream of, must at its core be built using the latest sustainable materials, designs and engineering methods.
As i begin to unpack this vision, i realize it is first of importance to find suitable land. This land must have a water source, a fresh spring or year round flowing water, with no major industry on the river upstream. Ideally the land will be within a 20-50 mile radius of an existing town, where materials and specific items can be sourced.
To purchase the land there must be investments and investors which will be found presenting the project, mapping out the obvious mission and vision, infrastructure as well as communal structures and features, value systems within the community and the scalability of the model to connect other communities. This means certain outlines and agreements will have needed to be met before moving forward.
This in itself, need not be such a huge undertaking. With a well detailed plan of a model community, outlining the major criteria like potential plot size in hectors, Water source, forests, access and location in relation to towns and local geography, “business” model for leasing, renting, events etc. a strong investment pitch can be put together. With the current times we are in, investing in land is the one of the most valuable thing we can invest in, especially when the land is untouched and fertile.
Plans for guidelines would have founding parties form contractual agreements in regards to the size of the investment, what can be built, what materials, how many people per sq feet of land to name some obvious ones. The guidelines would be articles in themselves, that would cover the topics above in detail. One particular facet of these guidelines, that has proved challenging to define is, the recognition of value, particularly in relation to each man or woman and what they provide for the community. How is value defined? Some may have cash, some may have crypto, others will have skills, other may have resources and land. There can be infinite ways to contribute to the planning, implementation and continued infrastructure of the community.
The community must be based near a fresh water source so that a multitude of processes can be harnessed using the water system, to create sustainable energy sources. water for drinking, cleaning and feeding the vast permaculture gardens, and animals is a necessity. Ideally this area will be around forests, maybe higher in altitude near mountains.
As was mentioned before regarding human waste, it is essential that my dream community implements wholistic systems into their homes and lifestyles. My perfect community must raise the bar, by combining the high standards of modern design, integrating with nature and embodying the wisdom of nature and how to utilize its potentials to create, in essence a fully functioning community, living with all their basic needs met – food, water, shelter, energy, & community for free, once the project(s) have been sufficiently energized with initial costs for investment and construction of each plot/property.
As with any vibrant community, there must be a strong focus on communal events, offering within the community and outside, to generate connection and abundance. The infrastructure designed and built will function as a integration of the freedom that nature provides, with an intimacy and privacy for the individuals and community. This is underpinned by clear guidelines and agreements that will provide clarity and functionality to the community.
Imagine this perfect community further underpinned by a computer network. A network that not only connects you digitally to the community, its services, management and eco-system but one that can connect to other communities providing the same network with its guidelines and systems set or accustomed. This live network can link people of interest within the network & communities, quickening the synchronic like connectivity and fluidity.
Let me give you an better example.. So you want to build your sustainable house using the latest materials and engineering methods.. imagine using a computer system that answers your question relating to how to build for example a tiny house using the cheapest, most sustainable materials. The A.I. may suggest a number of options ranging from whats designs have been approved by the trust network, what materials have been confirmed to be of high quality, any community & network member who might have that material or all vendors nearby, giving their prices to compare. The A.I. Would, through the trust network, offer solutions based on the community´s input and validation of the process that are submitted. This in essence offers a system that can help teach anybody who does not know the process of building a tiny house as well as update or refine its suggestions based on the experience and input of the community members who have found cheaper, more sustainable materials, engineering designs etc..
The process of vetting potential investors and community members can be made using simple questions to gain access to the contact info.. for example.. Are you Vax´d? This simple question can eliminate a great deal of people who, at least on a fundamental position, is easy to filter.
Imagine this perfect town already designed,modeled and defined, to be built and rebuilt, and improved upon. The potential of integrating an A.I. Technology with a fundamentally organic project is exciting. It will be a utilization of ideas and methods to present ever updating, correcting system that provides us options to create the best possible results, sounds like a perfect tool to ensure a wholistic and high standard is met, that can be implemented by each new community member.
Any wholistic community must integrate with the environment, land, climate and resources to achieve true sustainability. It is a must that we live again from the land, for those who have the knowledge to share it to others to create sustainable gardens and permaculture techniques that people can implement. These projects can be documented and released in courses which can provide a great source of education and abundance for the community and those sharing their wisdom.
This community will have shops and restaurants that provide a platform for community members to offer their services as well as communal areas for relaxing, exercising and spiritual practices like yoga and meditation, set in lush surrounds where bio-construction blends in with the nature it came from.
I feel the initial guidelines if set correctly in its formative stages, will become its community’s law, that each member respects and upholds.
To wrap up this visionary exercise, i feel to share that any community that thrives will thrive through cooperation, utilizing the knowledge and skills of its members to uplift themselves and each other. A wholistic vision requires that we align with the processes of life, embracing the wisdom of sacred geometry, feng shui, permaculture, bio-construction and other practices. Their have been models such as Michael Tellinger’s contributionalizm movement from South Africa that recognizes each persons contribution to the community as equal to any other, binman to doctor for example. As far as i am aware this community still functions where each person provides their skill to the community and in return receives from the community everything they need (locally produced food goods and services). We must recognize as a culture that things must change if we want to have a healthy society. Those that do, know that now is a pivotal moment in the story of this civilization, it may not be long til these communities are going to be needed en-mass.
Theallthatis 