07081 Community Design Challenges

When we cast our bread upon the waters, we can presume that someone downstream whose face we will never know will benefit from our action, as we who are downstream from another will profit from that grantor’s gift. — Maya Angelou

Very great change starts from very small conversations, held among people who care. — Margaret Wheatley

In permaculture, we learn design by actually doing design. The purpose of the Design Challenges document in each of the sections is to give you practice doing design. Each challenge document has some small projects that you can work that will help you to develop design skills. Never forget that none of these challenges exists in isolation. Each is an aspect of the holistic design for your life that is the iPermie goal!

Design a community permaculture organization. What are its characteristics? What is its scope? How does it help people? What is the minimum number of people needed to make it operational? How will it be governed? How will it be financed? Or will you need financing? If not, how are its operations maintained? What groups would be interested in such an organization?

Design new community structures or systems to meet human needs.

As part of your observation, you identified needs that are not presently met by other members/organizations/businesses/systems of your community. What organizations, businesses, and/or systems does your community need to meet the needs of its inhabitants from the productive work of that community? Prepare a summary of the organizational process that would bring into being the organizations and/or systems you need to meet your basic human needs from your own community. In permaculture, we refer to a summary like this as a “predesign.” It hits the high points of the journey. It does not flesh out all the details.

Repeat this as necessary until you can meet as many needs locally as is practical within the resources of the local community and its territory.