If you don’t have a dream….
By Jane Hustwit, YoCo
Image credit @localfutures_
Growing up in the 1950s, I adored classic American musicals. My favourite was South Pacific. One phrase from that has never left me:
“If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?”
Why am I thinking about this now? Because I watched a remarkable documentary recently called “Planet Local: A Quiet Revolution”. This viewing was a happy three-way coincidence, involving at its heart, radical thoughts and actions designed to redress the balance between global and local in our modern lives.
It started with York’s splendid York Festival of Ideas. YoCo is a big fan of the Festival, having worked with them on joint events previously. Fortuitously this year, it coincided with World Localization Day on 21st June, organised by other friends of ours at Local Futures. This Day pulled together a series of events exploring rich relationships between community, connection and place. It described, very effectively, how these can be positively transformed, in a move away from our increasingly global, destructive infrastructure.
YoCo, being passionate about these issues, realised how useful it would be if we worked with the Festival and World Localization Day to showcase our practical relevance. We particularly wanted to explore this in relation to the opportunities offered by the vast development site at York Central.
The fantastic work of Local Futures around the globe chimes well with our ambition for a more ethical and localised world we are aiming to build for the future. Somewhere that incorporates lessons learnt from the pandemic as well as from place based urban alternatives springing up around the world. Somewhere that would include:-
Forever affordable homes
Safe places to play and gather
Green spaces for wildlife and growing
A thriving local economy that builds wealth for everyone
In YoCo we understand that what happens at York Central will impact on the whole of York. So we strive to influence, in whatever way we can and whenever possible, to make these practical dreams come true, eventually. We know it can be done!
Rich, stimulating, clear and grounded, “Planet Local” pulls together stories and observations from all over the world. These examine the power of localisation and how it can foster an ecological economy, thriving communities and healthy local systems. Some of the context is outrageous especially in terms of trade, the stats incredible and the examples hair raising – the robotic production of lettuce, really? Yet it feels optimistic and full of possibility, recognising the human potential for cooperation as well as the sound economics underpinning localisation. Look out for a brief appearance by YoCo!
Talking afterwards, there was enthusiasm and some gritty questions - how to influence big capital investors effectively, as well as the majority owners of the land – Network Rail and Homes England? The impact of the current economic slump; how to find a sustainable way of making houses affordable? And there were useful observations, such as how to factor in support for the development of local energy supplies and recognition that more home working will inevitably shape a new local economy.
All in all, a challenging, exciting evening. Yet again I was inspired to dream.
You can watch the film here:- Planet Local: A Quiet Revolution (English) - YouTube