The debate perhaps becomes is economically measurable progress good progress?
My wife and I planning a trip to see a few parts of the world soon; since her relatives are from Italy and mine from Sweden, those are both on our shopping list. The question is this: what describes a place that people live in that you most want to spend time in?
Is it:
Door A: high rise jungle
Door B: small town of great historic significance
Door C: small town, not growing but clearly vibrant
Door D: the hottest new suburb where all the young professionals buy their first homes
I like seeing all kinds of places -- after all, people make the place!
But of these four "doors", perhaps the one that might intrigue me the most is Door C: a place where everyone seems to know everyone, the community and lifestyle feels healthy, and some mosaic of honoring the past and the new present.
Should that matter?
I rather think it should, especially for the New Zealand context, but also even for many other places. The America I grew up in only had three doors: high rise jungle, rural backwater (where I grew up) and something akin to Door D, which were often characterized by rabid and ugly growth.
But the puzzle pieces that COULD enable a Door C type of living are suddenly in place. Most of us can work virtually. There are some pretty crazy ideas related to the tiny home movement. Most of us have been exposed to ideas like bike trails and community gardens. Micro energy is itself a huge enabler. And kiwi ingenuity could most certainly be the innovation engine driving it.
If I could choose where I would most want to put down roots, it would probably be Door C. But the ability to craft this environment still feels like it is broken into disparate pieces... who is really serious about championing it?
Charles, I find myself agreeing with you again. But have we asked ourselves (the Kiwi population) what nation we want to live in? Period voting for representative democracy neither asks nor answers this question, yet it is the crucial one for us to determine our laws, institutions, and governance.
Excellent article, and accurate.
The debate perhaps becomes is economically measurable progress good progress?
My wife and I planning a trip to see a few parts of the world soon; since her relatives are from Italy and mine from Sweden, those are both on our shopping list. The question is this: what describes a place that people live in that you most want to spend time in?
Is it:
Door A: high rise jungle
Door B: small town of great historic significance
Door C: small town, not growing but clearly vibrant
Door D: the hottest new suburb where all the young professionals buy their first homes
I like seeing all kinds of places -- after all, people make the place!
But of these four "doors", perhaps the one that might intrigue me the most is Door C: a place where everyone seems to know everyone, the community and lifestyle feels healthy, and some mosaic of honoring the past and the new present.
Should that matter?
I rather think it should, especially for the New Zealand context, but also even for many other places. The America I grew up in only had three doors: high rise jungle, rural backwater (where I grew up) and something akin to Door D, which were often characterized by rabid and ugly growth.
But the puzzle pieces that COULD enable a Door C type of living are suddenly in place. Most of us can work virtually. There are some pretty crazy ideas related to the tiny home movement. Most of us have been exposed to ideas like bike trails and community gardens. Micro energy is itself a huge enabler. And kiwi ingenuity could most certainly be the innovation engine driving it.
If I could choose where I would most want to put down roots, it would probably be Door C. But the ability to craft this environment still feels like it is broken into disparate pieces... who is really serious about championing it?
Charles, I find myself agreeing with you again. But have we asked ourselves (the Kiwi population) what nation we want to live in? Period voting for representative democracy neither asks nor answers this question, yet it is the crucial one for us to determine our laws, institutions, and governance.
OK jim
Love this article, Mark! I think it really captures what many of us are feeling, that there is something that we are missing in our society.