In response to the threats of peak oil and climate change, thousands of people around the world are engaging in local "Transition" initiatives to promote resilience and "reskilling" to prepare for the expected "energy descent."
Transition initiatives are intended to get away from the language of "sustainability" which seeks to sustain existing structures, and instead promote "resilience", or the survival of communities. As Judith Schwartz reports,
"what began five years ago as a student project on lowering energy use in Kinsale, Ireland, has grown to 273 'official' initiatives in 15 countries...The United States now has 55 active Transition initiatives, the latest in San Francisco.
'Transition' is predicated on the assumption that society cannot keep consuming energy and other resources at our current pace and that we're better off accepting this reality and choosing how to adapt rather than letting ourselves get backed into a crisis. The idea is that the adaptation process can harness creative and even joyful possibilities that until now have laid dormant in our towns and cities."
FULL STORY: Stop Hand-Wringing About Peak Oil and Climate Change and Do Something
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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