Community Planet

Website: http://www.communityplanet.org

This is the comprehensive solution that I expect Transition Towns to lead us towards. It recognises that our social problems are interconnected and in response proposes a fundamental revision of our society. From the Vision section of the website:

“Community Planet, what it is:

• A sustainable eco-Community of 400-500 diverse people.
• Keeping the planet's resources intact for future generations.
• A Community that shows how state-of-the-art, positive technology can create better living.
• A Community designed to be energy self-sufficient.
• A cooperative Community where everyone has more through sharing resources. Wealth is redefined as use and access rather than as possession.
• A Community where residents take care of one another.
• A pedestrian Community with parking on the outskirts and few roadways.
• A Community with income producing, socially responsible businesses, enabling most to walk to work.
• A place where people regain control, through consensus, of the key decisions that affect their lives.
• More than simply an ecological city, rather a model that addresses the economic, cooperation, and separation issues.

What it is not:

• A place where one has to sacrifice quality of life.
• A haven for people living on the fringe.
• A place to escape from society.”

The idea of a cooperative community is not new. What is new is the technological advancement in the fields of communication and transportation which can ensure that such a lifestyle doesn’t amount to withdrawal from society. If growth in societal consciousness enables us to dispense with the requirements for a large market and extensive infrastructure, community living can become the lifestyle of choice for a large portion of society.