A note from me

We continue to pass through troubling times together, both collectively and individually. I felt compelled last week to react to the US Administration’s bombing of Iran with a special edition Newsletter Might is Right? I hope those of you who read this piece found the perspectives it raised interesting and even helpful.

In the past week we’ve been balancing two family matters. We have had the delight of a visit from our lovely granddaughter, Olivia, but we’ve also had to bite the bullet of informing my 93-year-old mother, Lynn, who is in hospital at the moment that there is no prospect of her returning home.

We have cared for Mum in our home with pleasure for the past 13 years but she is now so physically fragile that she needs access to professional care and equipment around the clock that cannot be provided in a home setting. It is not safe for her to live with us and we don’t want her to have a more serious accident and end her days in pain. So we now need to find a longer-term care home of the necessary high standard. It is a sobering prospect for all of us. It reminds us that we all need to face our mortality.

Olivia’s visit, on the other hand, reminds us of new life and our responsibilities to future generations. She is waiting for public academic examination results that will, hopefully, open the door to the school she would like to attend for her last school years before college. At the same time, she is beginning to become the young adult woman she will eventually be, and has to learn to navigate that difficult path.

She seems to enjoy spending time with us and the freedom she has here. However, I suspect she particularly likes that her Nana takes her out shopping at the coolest places to buy the clothes she loves. She is rather tall and slender, more in the mould of Dutch teenagers than English ones, so the cuts and fashions here suit her better than those in London. Or perhaps, it is simply easier to wind her grandparents than her parents around her finger to secure the necessary funding?

In any case, we love her.

This Newsletter continues to build on threads we have explored previously aimed at helping you build a better life for yourself and the people around you despite the current socio-political disruptions across the world. I hope you continue to find these Newsletters valuable and that they help you enrich your own personal or organisational perspectives.

My Bi-Weekly Guide

Lessons from City Scenarios - 2 (and Art)

In our first Newsletter on City development , a virtuous cycle was described for building thriving and liveable cities. Of course, those terms can mean somewhat different things to different people at different times. We also see that reflected in art.

In the early years of the 20 th century, Paris was the centre of the Western visual arts world and so much more. The cubist art movement was extending perspectives, and this impression of energy and modernity was captured in a painting of the Eiffel tower in Paris by the artist Robert Delaunay in 1911. This can be found in the Guggenheim Museum, New York.

This visual sense of surging, almost industrial, energy contrasts with the following painting of a different city in a different era. The View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer is in the Mauritshuis in The Hague and is one of my favourite works of art. It was painted around 1660 and captures a deep sense of calm and well-being in the early morning light after rain. In reality, Delft was also a bustling city at this time, particularly known for its flourishing trade and industry in pottery, weaving, brewing and printing. The artist, however, sought to emphasise instead something of its beauty, architectural wealth and liveability. This appealed to a different sort of art patron in 1660 compared to 1911.

The 5 overall factors shaping good urban development described in the previous Newsletter can be expressed in a number of different approaches to developing compact & efficient cities. Some of these are detailed below.

5 Additional approaches to shaping good Urban Development:

1. Detailed city inventory covering both new developments and historic core

   A detailed and accessible understanding of everything already present in a city can help ensure new developments are successfully planned and customised for local conditions. This also helps in connecting and integrating new city zones as they develop.

2. Flexible zoning and dynamic density

   Relaxed but firm zoning policy can support mixed-use cities and also shifts, for example, from industrial to service economies. Higher densities can also be encouraged around transit hubs and lower densities in residential areas, with incentives to developers to preserve and create usable green space.

3. Building efficiency and reduced plot sizes

   Effective building standards are essential. Measures to ensure quality and efficiency in the construction and operation of individual buildings are key. There is also value in discouraging the tendency towards mega-architecture projects and aesthetically monotonous cities being constructed on huge plots by encouraging smaller, diverse developments.

4. Transit-oriented development and micro-grids

   City design can maximise access to ,and use of, public transport. Pedestrians and cyclists can be encouraged by introducing a finer road and pathway grid.

5. Time-oriented development and integrated infastructure

   Ensuring infrastructure developments are planned to allow them to adapt to future conditions, and efficiently integrating utilities like power, heat, water treatment, and waste.

An opportunity for you to learn more:

If you would like to learn more about the kinds of topics covered in these Newsletters, then please consider signing up to the introductory Dodo Club Online Course. This covers scenario/systems thinking for grappling with uncertainty, an introduction to energy transitions, and the development of strategic character in leadership.

In the interest of avoiding the fate of that unfortunate bird, the Dodo, this course aims to help us secure our own personal legacies within a changing world and the energy transition - and to leave a healthier planet for future generations.

You can access the course through Udemy using the link below!

Go to Course

A series of follow-up courses that treat the main topics in increasing depth and detail will be provided if there is sufficient interest.

Question of The Fortnight

Every fortnight I’ll be asking a thought-provoking question in hopes of sparking interesting and enlightening discussion.

I’d love to hear your response! You can do so by simply responding to this email.

Today’s question is:

Do you have a favourite city and, if so, why is this attractive to you?

The Dodo Club Online Course

The Dodo Club is Waiting!

The Dodo Club is my online course which has been built for collaboration, learning and mutual support.

In the interest of avoiding the fate of that unfortunate bird, the Dodo, this course aims to help us secure our own personal legacies within scenario planning and the energy transition - and to leave a healthier planet for future generations.

You can access the course through Udemy using the link below!

You can also follow me on LinkedIn where I host webinars, Q&A sessions and provide weekly posts discussing some of the most pressing issues of today.

To be a part of the discussion and to have your voice heard, please do follow along below!