11.7 Locality as Success Principle of the Universe
235
to self-organizing processes in socio-economic systems. For example, niches that
support diversity and innovation can only exist locally. Moreover, local interactions
foster cooperation, as we have seen it in a previous chapter. One might even say
that the most interesting socio-economic phenomena are based on co-evolutionary
processes that happen on the meso-level, which is a layer between individual system
components and the entire system.
So we need to be aware of the importance of locality in complex systems and use
it to our benefit. This leads us to the concepts of “glocality” and “glocalization”—
approaches where people aim to reach global goals based on local activities, using
locally adapted solutions. What practical implications may this have for the way we
should manage complex and global systems in future?
11.8 Cities as Agents of Change
Elaborating further on the thoughts above, how would a decentralized, bottom-up
organization change the way we govern our increasingly complex world? It would
mean that, besides trying to find global solutions through institutions like the United
Nations, we would have to build complementary institutions focused on local challenges and opportunities, namely cities and regions. For many years, we have failed
to negotiate binding global agreements to reduce climate change. As a consequence,
climate action has been dramatically delayed. It has also proved impossible to solve
a number of other problems. Maybe a bottom-up approach would be more effective
at times?
In fact, more than half of the world’s inhabitants live in cities now, and the
percentage is steadily growing. Cities are the places where the problems occur and
where the solutions are developed and applied. Urban areas are often centers of pollution and crime, but also of production and innovation.
24 Cities are most threatened
by disasters, too. Thus, our efforts to increase societal resilience need to focus on
them.
In this context, it is worth listening to the insights of the former chief city planner
of New York City, Alexandros Washburn, as expressed in his book on “The Nature
of Urban Design”.
25 Interestingly, although New York is the leading metropolis of
the twentieth century, it has no master plan. Instead, it gradually adapts to the local
needs of its neighborhoods. Washburn emphasizes how important it was that he
could influence everything, while he underlines that he could control nothing. He
contends that the first and foremost priority of any urban planner should be to listen,
and that the function of public space should be to build public trust by bringing
a wide variety of people together. He argues that in order to make the city more
resilient and simultaneously meet quantitative, qualitative, and natural needs, it must
be managed through an intricate interplay of top-down and bottom-up governance
24 Bettencourt et al. [6].
25 Washburn [7].
235
to self-organizing processes in socio-economic systems. For example, niches that
support diversity and innovation can only exist locally. Moreover, local interactions
foster cooperation, as we have seen it in a previous chapter. One might even say
that the most interesting socio-economic phenomena are based on co-evolutionary
processes that happen on the meso-level, which is a layer between individual system
components and the entire system.
So we need to be aware of the importance of locality in complex systems and use
it to our benefit. This leads us to the concepts of “glocality” and “glocalization”—
approaches where people aim to reach global goals based on local activities, using
locally adapted solutions. What practical implications may this have for the way we
should manage complex and global systems in future?
11.8 Cities as Agents of Change
Elaborating further on the thoughts above, how would a decentralized, bottom-up
organization change the way we govern our increasingly complex world? It would
mean that, besides trying to find global solutions through institutions like the United
Nations, we would have to build complementary institutions focused on local challenges and opportunities, namely cities and regions. For many years, we have failed
to negotiate binding global agreements to reduce climate change. As a consequence,
climate action has been dramatically delayed. It has also proved impossible to solve
a number of other problems. Maybe a bottom-up approach would be more effective
at times?
In fact, more than half of the world’s inhabitants live in cities now, and the
percentage is steadily growing. Cities are the places where the problems occur and
where the solutions are developed and applied. Urban areas are often centers of pollution and crime, but also of production and innovation.
24 Cities are most threatened
by disasters, too. Thus, our efforts to increase societal resilience need to focus on
them.
In this context, it is worth listening to the insights of the former chief city planner
of New York City, Alexandros Washburn, as expressed in his book on “The Nature
of Urban Design”.
25 Interestingly, although New York is the leading metropolis of
the twentieth century, it has no master plan. Instead, it gradually adapts to the local
needs of its neighborhoods. Washburn emphasizes how important it was that he
could influence everything, while he underlines that he could control nothing. He
contends that the first and foremost priority of any urban planner should be to listen,
and that the function of public space should be to build public trust by bringing
a wide variety of people together. He argues that in order to make the city more
resilient and simultaneously meet quantitative, qualitative, and natural needs, it must
be managed through an intricate interplay of top-down and bottom-up governance
24 Bettencourt et al. [6].
25 Washburn [7].