Thursday, May 9, 2013

Deliberative Democracy is Key to City Sustainability

I have been very behind on blog posts! But wanted to share this...

A sociologist from U of M is writing a chapter for an upcoming book, focused on resident engagement in sustainability in cities. She is highlighting Chicago's toolkit work as one of two best examples of participatory deliberation processes! The other example, from Western Australia, is fascinating--here's a link a video about Geraldton 2029. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOOKpnv43Kk

And, here's a link to another article about the importance of "soft skills," like relationship-building, collaboration, and facilitation, in building sustainable communities:

http://society.guardian.co.uk/mindtheskillsgap/story/0,,2176901,00.html

What do you think? Why is deliberative democracy key to sustainability?

Best,
Jenny