Yurbanism

In preparing for my TEDxScottsdale presentation tomorrow evening.  I created several slides that I didn’t end up using.  A few of the slides hung on their own as a distinct presentation.  Here they are:

Notes:

Urban Revolution

With the end of the suburban century comes a return to a more urban, people-centered way of life.

Three main forces are driving this:

1. Economic RESETsion

The recent economic downturn was more than a cyclical event, it marked a fundamental shift in our society.

The synergy of:

• · the burst of the real estate bubble,
• · rising energy prices and peak oil, and
• · an emerging climate change understanding

have shook the foundations of our economic system and woke many of us up.

Even if we don’t agree with their conclusions or causes, these factors have become part of the public discourse and are driving politics—and policy.

DeIndustrialization

The first suburbs were a reaction to the dirt and pollution in cities that came from factories and industry in the city.

In recent decades, this have begun to change. Our economy is increasingly knowledge based and cities have gone from gritty to green.

There is less demand for industrial lots and more demand for places where people can connect and share ideas.

At the same time, the car-centric nature of suburbs is taking its own environmental toll.

Collaborative Consumption

Another part of the economic reset has resulted in a substantive shift away from the hyper-consumerism that defined the past 50 years.

Social technologies, a renewed belief in community, increased environmental awareness, and cost consciousness have us rethinking our conspicuous consumerism.

In its place, a ‘collaborative consumption’ is emerging—based on sharing, openness, and cooperation.

Not only is collaborative consumption reshaping what we buy, it is transforming how we interact with each other and the spaces around us.

In other words, it is changing how we live.

Experience Economy

Connected to collaborative consumption is the increasing importance of the experience economy.

People are looking for inspiration and engagement rather than simply possession. We are increasingly interested in accumulating experiences rather than goods.

We are seeking to ‘meet up’ with the Jones’s rather than ‘keep up’ with them.

Sure we like our tech toys, but not in and of themselves, but rather because of how they connect us with one another.

2. Value Shift

There is an undeniable value shift occurring in society today.

Simply put we are moving from a ME society to a WE society.  This is being supported by a confluence of technology AND demographics.

Urban Tribes

One of the key components of this value shift is the changing nature of community.

People are getting married less and later in life.

Many travel away from their hometowns for school or for work and don’t have the traditional support networks.

However, we still need—and WANT—to be with other people.

So we are turning to each other.

You could have all stayed at home tonight watching the live stream of this event, but you chose to be here in person.

This says something about the importance of personal connections.

Culture Matters

In his latest book, Gary Vanyerchuk states that “Culture is the next playing field.” While Gary was talking about business culture, it is equally applicable to urban culture.

We are now seeking more authentic experiences where we can be themselves.

We are tired of the over-scripted malls and chain restaurants that dot the suburbs.

Many of us are willing to take a pay cut to work with interesting people on interesting projects.

We are also willing to endure higher financial costs to live in a vibrant city core.

We realize that culture really does matter.

Senior City-zens

Baby Boomers made suburbia their own, but they may not survive in it as they age and look towards retirement.

They are seeing their kids move out and realizing that their suburban social circles aren’t as robust as they once thought.

For the aging population, urban living can mean less upkeep and greater proximity to culture and entertainment.

It can also mean access to urban tribes.

3. Place 2.0

It is no accident that the renaissance in urbanism is coming about in conjunction with a renaissance in media.

Just like the interaction inherent in social media allows us to build communities online;  people are discovering that cities can help people connect offline.

It’s old school urbanism with new school tactics.

urbandwidth

Anybody who has ever had a slow Internet connection knows the importance of band-width.  Urban-width is just as important

Parks, streets, and other public spaces offer the necessary bandwidth for the flow of information between people.

After the economic reset, this bandwidth is imperative for our prosperity. Successful ideas are not created in isolation, but require contact with others.

However, we still design our cities to make them to drive through alone than to connect with others.

Connection Devices

Up until now the main effect of new technology has been to displace traditional forms of social organization.

The connectivity inherent in social media can help renew it.

We aren’t retreating into virtual worlds; rather, we are connecting with other human beings, both online and off.

This is a unique moment in history where technology is making us that much MORE human.

hyperlocal media

Social media—and in particular blogs—has helped create a renewed pride in our cities.

Our local communities are no longer isolated but are nodes in a wider network.

Hyper-local media encourages candid conversation among members of the community.

It allows a wider variety of residents to become more engaged in the planning processes that have often been left to a much smaller group.

This will help create more livable cities.