A Community of Change

Although my ideal community has intriguing innovations why would you want to live there? One of the most important reasons is that your voice will matter. Your input will be used to shape and form the community as it grows. This not only allows you to suggest new and innovative ideas but also allows for ideas that are not working to be revised or disbanded.

Another important reason to join my community is because it will save you time, money, and resources. By having a community power grid that is fueled by alternative energy sources your energy costs will decrease. This will occur because the power grid production will be shared equally between members of the community. In addition, because the power grid is dispersed among many small units it will reduce the amount of money that is invested when a power source needs to be replaced or upgraded. The water system used in the community will also cut costs because it will ensure that less water is used among its members. This will reduce the amount of water that has to be processed at treatment plants and will prevents public money from being siphoned off to fund new and larger wastewater treatment projects that can cost millions of dollars. The public transportation system will also save you money because you will no longer have to pay for a car, mechanical repairs, or insurance. In addition, the public transportation system will save you time because you will be able to get from point A to point B without waiting in heavy traffic or at stop lights.

Although the above items of my community will help you keep more money and waste less time what else does it have to offer? Even more important than money is your health and the relationships you develop. Because of this my community offers an ideal environment for improving both of these. Your health will improve because walking will be encouraged by having a pedestrian “chip” which allows you to get across busy streets without waiting. In addition, community meetings and person-to-person interaction will encourage healthier relationship as you walk around town or ride the public transportation.

The above commentary on my community outlines the advantages of living there. However, how easy would it be for me to convince people to live there and what difficulties would I encounter. I feel that one of the major hurdles I would have to overcome would be people’s independence. People in America are fiercely independent and convincing them to give some of it up to join my community would prove difficult. I think one of the hardest things to ask people to leave behind would be their car. Not only does a car function as a symbol of independence but it also allows people to go where they want when they want. Thus, having people join my community where personal cars are discouraged could be very difficult. Another aspect of my community that I believe would be difficult to sell would be the water restrictions. This aspect also deals with independence because it limits how much water can be used each day. Finally, I believe that community meetings could be another obstacle for people joining my community. Because people have a vast spectrum of opinions I feel that community meetings could put a strain on the members who are not as agreeable. Thus, I feel that there are some tough issues that I would have to address in order to convince people to join my community. However, I also realize that the struggle to convince society to accept innovative ideas is not a recent phenomenon. People before me have also struggled. Mahatma Gandhi faced these difficulties when he was trying to advocate for the independence of India. Martin Luther King Jr. faced these difficulties when he tried to convince the United States to legislate equal rights for people of color. Jesus also faced these difficulties when He came to earth and advocated for a society in which the least were the greatest. Visionaries have always faced opposition. Because their ideas are different people are wary of accepting them. However, I feel that it is only through new ideas that change can truly happen.

Subliminal Coercion

My ideal community was built in such a way that the most convenient way of doing something was also the ‘ideal’ way. Such as making walking more convenient than driving between home and school, or work.

If people can live more environmentally friendly, or use local goods and services rather than imports, without going out of their way then the goal of my community has been achieved. Thus to get people to do this is less about directly convincing the people, and more about providing the resources and layout of a community that fosters the desired way of life. For example, to convince people to increase their socially connections and to interact with their friends more is a hard concept to implement, but if you give them the technologies of Facebook, Twitter, or SMS, the populace embraces these and your result is achieved, albeit in a somewhat different form.

So in order to have people remember to turn off their lights for example, convince them to install a smart system that, through their cell phone’s GPS or some other tracking device, will automatically turn off house lights when they are not in the vicinity. Mapping programs that will suggest walking as a good option to get from point A to point B, and websites like WHERE.COM that help people become more aware of their local surroundings are all technologies that I believe have potential to change the masses. As an individual in a community, I can help foster others, by writing reviews and rating different local services and outlets in my community on websites where others in the community will be able to see and be influenced by my contributions.

As an engineer, I hope to assist in developing technologies that will allow people to be more environmentally friendly, locally supportive and globally aware. Coming up with ideas for change is relatively easy. The challenge is implementing in such a way that it sticks and grows without being a burden on the community.

By combining well-though community design, and the implementation of appropriate technologies, it is possible, I believe, to create certain changes without ever publicly expressing the desired change. Through this and similar techniques, a community can be formed, over time, into one that is growing more environmentally friendly, locally supportive, and globally aware.

You Know You Want To...

"Are you tired of seeing others around you suffer?

Are you tired of always being there to support your friends and then when you need them they're nowhere to be found? Do you want to belong to a community that knows you and supports you?

Come live with us!! Everyone belongs with us, there is always a place for you here."

*This is not for those who enjoy constant solitude and being an outsider.

My community is not one that immediately appeals to people. It's one of those things that you think you're not going to like, but then when you get there and you're actually doing it, you don't want to leave. It's one of those things that you might not realize that you are missing until you have it. Helping people to realize their inner most desires and attractions would not be the easiest task, but the end result would not be something that they regretted. Although I admit that the initial attraction might seem small or non-rewarding, their newfound sense of belonging and confidence would soon assure their stay in the community.

I would start with the church communities because I know that they would be (should be) the quickest to respond and want to join in, but I would include a short disclaimer that this is no 10 day trip, it's a way of life and they shouldn't be in it if they are not in it wholeheartedly. Secondly, I would start by advertising to the poor and homeless, they would have an immediate interest in the benefits of the community for them, but I would again include a disclaimer that this would not be a place where they just receive and receive, they would also have some part in giving, that's what a community is. After a first couple of people joined the community, their testimony would be advertisement enough; from those two groups of people I think that the numbers would increase as word got out and people started to hear how belonging to a community makes one feel.

The most difficult part would be the initial convincing and transition into the community. I feel that some would turn away if they didn't stick with it for a couple of days until they really began to understand it and fully embrace it. There are two people that come to mind that had difficulty convincing others of their causes: Jesus and Socrates. Two people completely different, but many people did not take them or their ideas seriously until they were able to experience it and sample it for themselves. They were in their days "weird" and no one had any desire to listen to them, but when they fully understood what they were talking about, they couldn't get enough of it!

Want to reduce your energy bill? Sick of keeping the kids in the house all day? Craving the small-town life? Then look no further!

Our community offers all of these, plus much more. One of our community goals is to lower our carbon footprint on the planet, so we offer a unique compensation packet for those who are environmentally friendly. Our studies have shown that those who participate in this program reduce the amount of energy used and have a LOWER energy bill. Not only that, but our community is one of the safest localities in the United States! With crime non-existent, kids have the freedom to spend time outdoors with their friends without worrying their parents. Due to this, we have also been rated as one of the healthiest communities, offering various after-school programs for children, ranging from athletics to art to academics. The range of activities that the community offers makes it impossible for someone to not be involved! The regular instrumental recitals, spelling bees, and football games allow us to develop a sense of community and belonging while also forming relationships between neighbors.

This community is the perfect size! The housing is luxurious and affordable! The people are welcoming and friendly! Why not leave your crowded, busy city or your lonely, separated town and come to this spot that people cannot stop talking about.
"One of the best decisions I ever made" says Rosie.
"Phenomenal people, phenomenal place, phenomenal life" exclaims Michael.
And you can join in with them!


I know, I know, this sounds like a typical infomercial, but there is a reason that they make infomercials: they work. I think that many some of the hardest things to "sell" for the community include attracting those from the city and the country. Many people who live in the city are content with where they are and the enjoy the benefits of living in a heavily populated area, especially the convenience and diversity. Many people who live in the country enjoy their seclusion and privacy. However, everyone wants what they can't have. It is a matter of taking what they don't have and playing it up; for those in the country, it would be the intimacy that comes with community while for those in the city, it would be the quiet, more laid back atmosphere. The hardest population to target would be those who already live in a community of similar size. Another problem that would probably hinder some people from choosing this community is the Stepford Wives feel that the community has. Many people stay clear of communities for fear of becoming a cookie-cutter person, a copy of their neighbor. Individualism needs to be stressed and proven to make people feel more comfortable with moving into this community.
Someone that I believe struggled with this, though it might sound cliche, was Jesus. He was trying to start a movement, but many even nowadays think that it means we are all copies of each other, walking around like zombies with no identity. Nonetheless, Jesus' movement was much more monumental than the community project. There have been many people throughout history who have tried to change the community around them, but most of the time they have been labeled as crazy and ostracized. Maybe that's because they are the only ones who made the headlines, people like David Koresh and the Mormon pioneers. One of the biggest challenges facing the community would probably be exclusion; a balance needs to be found, at least initially, between the old and the new. Once the community is established and validated could the newer changes truly take hold.

A "No Worries" Community

The central idea that flows through my creation of an ideal community is the idea of relaxation.  Without saying anything more than that, I think I could already capture a very large amount of people into my community.  The idea of relaxation brings to mind many different things to many different people, depending on what is considered labor and pleasure in their mind.  Relaxation suggests vacation, resorts, sunshine, warm beaches, a hobby, or ultimate serenity.  While these things are not quite how I organized my community, I did base it on a stress-free, or stress-limited, environment.  And who wouldn't want that?

I suppose one efficient way to promote my community would be to set up a blog or a forum where people who live in my community will be able to write about their daily happinesses.  My community will be reasonably priced so that it is not necessary to have a high-paying job to live there.  This will quickly bring in a few people to be the testers.  These people will live their daily lives, just like everyone else, but without all the pressures of a career and homework.  Without these pressures, people won't be so uptight and their constant directions and goals in life will be a little less focused on future outcomes and bit more centered around life in the present and spending time with those you love and even those you've never met.  Life in my community promotes friendships because survival through a good career is not a top priority.  As my testers write about their positive changes, outsiders will read their posts during their lunch breaks at work and wish they could have the same care-free life, not having to return to another six+ hours of work (yes, humans in America are far too overworked).  If people are skeptical of joining my community, they are always welcome to come stay in the home of a community member (cost-free) to try out a life that could be theirs.

The main struggle that I see resulting from my community is laziness.  The less people work, the more they don't want to at all.  However, an easy fix to this is the encouragement of voluntary community service.  Through this work environment, people will not only be accomplishing things, but they will leave knowing that they benefitted someone's life.  Hopefully this feeling will drive them to continue to participate, and laziness will never set in.

My community may sound too perfect and peachy keen.  But if it did exist and was that easy to attain, would you honestly not want to be a part of it?

Change the World!

Or at least your neighborhood!

Architect (and Andrews graduate) Jeff Sommers will be our guest speaker on November 22, discussing his dream for a reformation in urban residential design.

Here is a link to an article in Green Bean Chicago about Jeff's current project: a prefabricated, urban home meeting the criteria for LEED Platinum certification.  Meaning: really green and quite cool.

Please review these links:

• Square Root Architecture + Design on Facebook.  Check out the videos of the modules being built in a factory near South Bend.
• Square Root Architecture's blog.
• Project photos from Curbed Chicago.
• Article describing the project's long journey from the Chicago Tribune.
• A link to the Urban-C3 micro-site.

The Self-Advertising Community

At the risk of sounding arrogant (though I promise I'm not), the community I’m proposing would be so self-sufficient, earth friendly, and economically ideal for everyone that I think the community would almost advertise itself. Of course that is likely the case for all of the communities that have been designed.

I would create a tribe of followers by having a sort of “test group” to attest to the true advantages of living in a completely self sufficient community like mine that helps to fulfills the dreams of everyone who chooses to join it. They would be a living testament to the advantages my community has and their personal appeals to potential residents would include the benefits they personally have enjoyed, including: freedom from poverty, all of their needs provided for, jobs and careers they love, an outstanding education system for their kids, energy sources that are practical yet natural like solar energy, food that is organic and free of all human interferences, and more. As the community grows more jobs would be available as needs increase, so families could move and start their dream job in a supporting community. I think everyone could find an improvement above their current life in any number of these features of my community.

I think the struggle would be easing the skeptical minds of any hidden problems that my community might not be advertising to them. The ideal, though, is that the community is free of undesirable defects. I would simply present my community to them in a way that doesn’t give off a salesmen aura but rather appeals to their reasoning powers and leaves the decision up to them pressure-free. I would simply describe all the benefits like the ones listed above.