Just an initial effort to think about human settlements as they might develop during coming years.
An Obama Village would have a population of plus or minus 5000. Smaller settlements would be closer to larger ones.
They would be ecologically self sufficient, that is to say with recycling onsite and with almost no need to remove refuse.
Adequate water through the collection and processing of precipitation. Adequate solar- and wind-generated power, with the turbines and collectors needed to create self-sufficiency. Waste would be used to generate power and fertilize any local agriculture.
The construction itself would involve an emphasis on natural heating and cooling through the creation of crawlspace ventilation as a standard for all spaces.
Villages would involve the government-supported purchase of property currently not occupied, or occupied by obsolete dwellings and buildings, Owners would profit and perhaps have preference in terms of residence in new communities.
A village would contain small retail outlets with an emphasis on their variety and the need for choice, small clinics devoted to preventative medical procedures, small educational outposts where students of primary school age could do remote work using publicly available computers. These nodes would double at times as places where people of all ages could have access, essentially replacing what we think of as local libraries.
The proliferation of services and businesses would include everything from cafes and eateries to specialized services like locksmiths, hardware, etc.
Villages would be pedestrian. Walking would be the preferred means of getting anywhere. There would be no steps, rises would all be gentle grades leading to as many as four levels. One could walk many miles within these villages without encountering a car. Seating, both movable and stationary, would be prolific.
There would all-purpose remote "office" areas somewhat on the model of the "libraries" already mentioned, so that people working "at home" would not need to actually be at home but have a distinct place to go to log into their work life.
Villages would be built with security in mind and also with safety elements. Jane Jacobs-style stoop (front porch) creating natural people surveillance, secure residences with built-in safety and fire protections, an emphasis on volunteer policing, use of protections such as dome structures to control the effects of heat, cold and precipitation.
Just a few thoughts in the awareness that if we are to actually move from an economy where people are not particularly interested in buying more of the same, we will have to create something different.
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I like your vision. I would add local, organic agriculture and permaculture practices to your vision as well. This kind of village would be not only sustainable, but would survive peak oil.
I'm part of the first Transition Town movement in the U.S. (in Boulder/Denver) and we share your vision for a local-based economy, self-sufficiency and sustainability.
www.TransitionColorado.ning.com
http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/30/boulder-co-becomes-the-first-us-transition-town/
This did.
There are many kinds of green housing. Such communities could do a service by providing side by side comparison analysis of different green building techniques to determine which are most efficient and least polluting in each eco - system. Some communities may run on geo thermal, and others on wind, solar, etc. Such a laboratory of community green building might offer an incentive to various manufacturers who could contribute equipment, tools and funds to build various proto type houses.
I'm not sure how Obama's name is attached to this. I haven't seen anything in his writing to propose even close to these ideas. Do you have references to anything he's said or written that could point to parts of this utopian idea? I am curious.
I'm also curious about guns. Would they be allowed in these people-policed villages? Could I use a golf cart to get around, and, if so, would it require a seat belt?
Okay - I'm just playing. I know what your point is and I like it.
Obama. He is in the title because he has NOT yet given evidence that his approach is integral -- and whatever we do, I do not believe there will be any real success minus an integral approach. Believe me I have tried to get this message to the folk in the Obama camp, but I am suffering the fate of the marginalized. Sitting here listenint to Neil Young and dreaming.
Now to our threatened fusillade. Ideally a community might set its own rules and there would be a locker somewhere where hunters could park their artillery. OTH we do need to think about whether there might be a tradeoff between the relative safety of a settlement and people;s need to have a weapon at hand. If I had my choice between a village or settlement that allowed them and one that didn.t I could opt for the latter.
Golf carts might replace the automobile in such environments.
Glad you understand I am just throwing some things out trying to start some discussion and get the attention of vagrant Obamaphiles.
To wit:
http://stephencrose.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/solis-appointment-another-obama-winner/
Property that isn't occupied gets seized by the government? How much land is a person permitted to own in this nightmare utopia? In return for having their property stolen they get first pick of apartments in the new city? What if I'm happy living on my own land and I don't want to be part of your city, why should you get to take my property away from me?
shops would be set up based on variety and need? We already have that it's called the free market. Shops that aren't needed and can't attract customers go out of business. Shops or services that are needed appear to satisfy that demand.
I like my car and I like driving it. If you don't want to drive a car, don't.