A maker space is a safe, neutral zone inhabited by construction tools, know-how and hope.
It is designed to incubate creativity and projects. Projects cause direction, commerce, fulfillment and connectivity to locale.
They also link locale/place to abroad.
Maker spaces are not business incubators. That is a different engine that is designed and dedicated to a different purpose. Instead, maker spaces are multi-age, scrappy, filled with repurpose ideas, crafts and nuttiness.
Maker spaces "acquire" tools. A lathe. A drill press. But they are really nothing more than old or repurposed factories turned toward what people want to do in a social way. Their most important tools are a kettle and a coffee maker and a sign that welcomes those who want to touch that place in them that solders, shows, grinds, weaves, etc.
Every place that is going to be a place needs a maker space. It needs lots of them. They are ideally a set of rooms around a well-lit bay of naturally lit tables dedicated to doing things.
The talk and showing will come naturally. It is a place that 17 year olds think is "cool." It is also a place where old men want to "hang out" and women want to coffee klatch. It is all that and not dedicated to any of it.
In needs insurance and organization--a board--but it doesn't need a staff beyond the volunteer who knows how to show how to safely use the new 3-D printer or CNC machine. It is secure. It watches itself from vandalism and theft. It collects materials like boards and old radios and has storage rooms that have honor system purchases from them where people sign a list saying they took an aluminium bar.
They are centres of renewal and community and essential placemakers.
Monday, October 31, 2016
What is the Smart City?
A smart city is not one dominated by a single firm, nor is it dominated by the state or a government.
A smart city is an enabled ecosystem built on top of a grid of multiple possibilities for interacting and becoming informed. It is an omni-channeled place with discoverable content through multiple platforms.
It isn't tied to one map. It isn't tied to one framework. It isn't tied to one point of view or one provider or one set of providers.
A smart city enables. It gives voice to those who are normally not projecting their image. It is a place for action, discourse and safety. It is transparent.
It allows people to find help both acutely and in the long term.
It enables linkages to commerce and ideas, but it is not alone the forum.
It is a wayfinder.
A smart city is an enabled ecosystem built on top of a grid of multiple possibilities for interacting and becoming informed. It is an omni-channeled place with discoverable content through multiple platforms.
It isn't tied to one map. It isn't tied to one framework. It isn't tied to one point of view or one provider or one set of providers.
A smart city enables. It gives voice to those who are normally not projecting their image. It is a place for action, discourse and safety. It is transparent.
It allows people to find help both acutely and in the long term.
It enables linkages to commerce and ideas, but it is not alone the forum.
It is a wayfinder.
What is a "Social Enterprise" and Why do they Matter?
It must be stated up front that there is a popular libertarian view that only self-interested functions exist in earnest. That is not the view taken in this blog. We are more than happy to debate the point with those who challenge on it, but there is loads of evidence to support our view and almost none supporting the contrary view except angry old white man talk. We are not against angry old white men. We get it. But let's just be honest who we all are (written by a mildly angry old white man.)
A social enterprise is one whose purpose is not purely to aid the weak, needy or deserving (a charity.) Charities do vital work and it is hard to speak in general terms against nearly anything they do. They are integral to healthy societies.
But ecosystems that are rich have many hybrid functions. Some are crosses between conventional creations and some are de novo--or to use an even more 6th form Latin phrase--sui generis--of their own type.
Social enterprises combine the ethos of commerce with the focus of community. In a sense they are less profit focused, and more public focused. Those things are continuums, and we should want all our enterprises to be "social." They will not be. Some will create "negative externalities." A negative externality is an outcome that is net poor for others caused in making wealth or something positive for someone else (e.g. pollution.)
Social enterprises are often "pooled" functions that have elements of broad public support including funding. An example is a tourist board in a town. It is in the town's interest to have such a board. The board probably has no sensible charge back scheme that would make it self-sustaining, yet it is obvious to all involved that there is benefit in having such a locus and such a function.
Social enterprises are the glue of place. Done right they cause explosive goodness including growth. Done poorly, they are bureaucratic bastions of protective jobs for the frightened and defensive. Social enterprises need to "attack". Their boards should insist not on business plans but action plans. They must try things...engage, venture and experiment. They must not rest on laurels and any successes should be spun out if possible to their own life stream. Beware the social enterprise that becomes the captive of the long standing director or board chair--or a collaborative co-dependency between the two.
Social enterprises must periodically fail. They must incur wrath. If they do not, then they are not engaged. Engagement is their metier. Their purpose is to combine the go-getter nature of commerce with the prayerful hope for a possible public good. They are never standing still.
A social enterprise is one whose purpose is not purely to aid the weak, needy or deserving (a charity.) Charities do vital work and it is hard to speak in general terms against nearly anything they do. They are integral to healthy societies.
But ecosystems that are rich have many hybrid functions. Some are crosses between conventional creations and some are de novo--or to use an even more 6th form Latin phrase--sui generis--of their own type.
Social enterprises combine the ethos of commerce with the focus of community. In a sense they are less profit focused, and more public focused. Those things are continuums, and we should want all our enterprises to be "social." They will not be. Some will create "negative externalities." A negative externality is an outcome that is net poor for others caused in making wealth or something positive for someone else (e.g. pollution.)
Social enterprises are often "pooled" functions that have elements of broad public support including funding. An example is a tourist board in a town. It is in the town's interest to have such a board. The board probably has no sensible charge back scheme that would make it self-sustaining, yet it is obvious to all involved that there is benefit in having such a locus and such a function.
Social enterprises are the glue of place. Done right they cause explosive goodness including growth. Done poorly, they are bureaucratic bastions of protective jobs for the frightened and defensive. Social enterprises need to "attack". Their boards should insist not on business plans but action plans. They must try things...engage, venture and experiment. They must not rest on laurels and any successes should be spun out if possible to their own life stream. Beware the social enterprise that becomes the captive of the long standing director or board chair--or a collaborative co-dependency between the two.
Social enterprises must periodically fail. They must incur wrath. If they do not, then they are not engaged. Engagement is their metier. Their purpose is to combine the go-getter nature of commerce with the prayerful hope for a possible public good. They are never standing still.
Where is UK density and trends toward population growth and why does this matter?
This is an excerpt from Wikipedia (click here) on where UK population is found. In relation, here is a general article (click here) on UK demography. I use the Wikipedia statistics to facilitate looking at other nations for comparison--which is not as simple from national sites.
What appears obvious in these maps?
I see what is obvious to most British people. London dominates in density and scale. Birmingham and Manchester are 2nd cities and there is a line of population running up the M1 corridor.
Bristol is a microcenter of the West. Glasgow/Edinburgh are an important corridor. Another micro corridor exists between Middlesbrough and Newcastle upon Tyne. Northern Ireland is a pool around Belfast. Wales is an echo of Bristol using the Bristol Channel to similar benefits--perhaps historically as well as currently.
Maps showing change maps are more interesting (as is typical). Click here.
The data from the Guardian based maps are a bit old but trends are not changing too dramatically for them to remain relevant. You have to click on the top of the map to get to (this page) where you can click on the data change parameters which are available in "pull down" just under the photo of Simon Rogers.
I particularly note the percentage of retired persons pull-down. Rural Britain is old and BREXIT focused. Urban Britain is largely growing in population, much younger, and much more a focus of immigrants.
There is a clear economic corridor running roughly up the M1 where most of the energy of the UK is focused. The maximum distance from this corridor in all directions is where the greatest number of dependents is found.
This appears to be an unhealthy and even unnatural distribution. It is a segmented populated bound to be a political odds with itself.
What appears obvious in these maps?
I see what is obvious to most British people. London dominates in density and scale. Birmingham and Manchester are 2nd cities and there is a line of population running up the M1 corridor.
Bristol is a microcenter of the West. Glasgow/Edinburgh are an important corridor. Another micro corridor exists between Middlesbrough and Newcastle upon Tyne. Northern Ireland is a pool around Belfast. Wales is an echo of Bristol using the Bristol Channel to similar benefits--perhaps historically as well as currently.
Maps showing change maps are more interesting (as is typical). Click here.
The data from the Guardian based maps are a bit old but trends are not changing too dramatically for them to remain relevant. You have to click on the top of the map to get to (this page) where you can click on the data change parameters which are available in "pull down" just under the photo of Simon Rogers.
I particularly note the percentage of retired persons pull-down. Rural Britain is old and BREXIT focused. Urban Britain is largely growing in population, much younger, and much more a focus of immigrants.
There is a clear economic corridor running roughly up the M1 where most of the energy of the UK is focused. The maximum distance from this corridor in all directions is where the greatest number of dependents is found.
This appears to be an unhealthy and even unnatural distribution. It is a segmented populated bound to be a political odds with itself.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Let's start with an idea
High Street Green...a social enterprise facilitating partnership between municipalities, local commerce, and digital entrepreneurs to develop innovative, street-level solutions for place-making and community asset mapping. We leverage technology to connect people with places.
But what does that mean? Place-making is about residency, work, community, sustainability, desirability, durability.
There is, of course, a large "literature." People talking to themselves is a form of discourse, and there is a place for formal discourse. But get in the game! Take a stake. It takes time in life to choose your games and stakes and to place the bets, but it is better to take a stake than to do nothing and sometimes being part of the "literature" is doing nothing.
We should not congratulate ourselves for our feathery damsel fly landing on a topic. Hit it. Hit it hard. Whip it. Whip it good. We hereby commit ourselves to solutions.
But what does that mean? Place-making is about residency, work, community, sustainability, desirability, durability.
There is, of course, a large "literature." People talking to themselves is a form of discourse, and there is a place for formal discourse. But get in the game! Take a stake. It takes time in life to choose your games and stakes and to place the bets, but it is better to take a stake than to do nothing and sometimes being part of the "literature" is doing nothing.
We should not congratulate ourselves for our feathery damsel fly landing on a topic. Hit it. Hit it hard. Whip it. Whip it good. We hereby commit ourselves to solutions.
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