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JohnThackara

designing for life

JohnThackara

designing for life

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Homeadmin2023-08-09T18:07:42+00:00
  • August 21, 2010

    most read | urban-rural

    My plan to save the city of Nice $250 million

    IMG_1859.JPG

    This blog first proposed the replacement of trophy buildings with street art back in 2002.
    In a piece called “Trophy buildings are over” we argued that because they are conceived as spectacles, so-called signature architecture would be subject to the [continue …]

  • August 15, 2010

    most read | urban-rural

    From mega, to micro: What You Can Do With the City

    [Summer re-run; first published last year] 83a.jpg
    The atmosphere at last week’s Megacities conference in Delft was subdued. I don’t suppose my own talk, which ploughed a similar path to the Debt, Diesel and Dämmerung narrative I mentioned yesterday, helped lighten the mood very [continue …]
  • August 13, 2010

    food systems | most read

    Alternative trade networks and the coffee system

    0262524805-medium.jpg

    Every day 1.5 billion cups of coffee are drunk somewhere in the world – quite a few of them in this house – but few of us in the North know much about the 25 million families that grow and produce this [continue …]

  • August 12, 2010

    energy

    Salvage design

    kalakbook04.jpg
    (Summer re-run: first published 26 July 2008)
    Bamboo scaffolding, knotted aerial lines, hand painted signs or converted plastic bags: German photographer Thomas Kalak has published a book called “Thailand – Same same, but different!” that celebrates the Thais’ exceptionally gifted art of improvisation.
    The strange objects and [continue …]

  • August 11, 2010

    development

    Innovating our way to oblivion

    (Summer re-run: first published 16 June 2008)
    Out-of-control buzzwords are like locusts: you can swat handfuls of them down with a bat, but more will come to take their place.
    I’ve been swatting away for ages in this blog at all things Conceptual, Cultural, Clustered and (especially) Creative.
    But now we’re suffering a [continue …]

  • August 9, 2010

    knowing

    Marketing, me, and the future of tv

    (Summer re-run: first published September 2009)
    A marketing whiz I know in New York asked me to do her a favour: answer some questions about the future of tv.
    At least, that’s what I thought she asked. But when, a couple of days later, a FedEx package arrived, it contained [continue …]

  • August 8, 2010

    earth repair

    Dam Nation: Dispatches From the Water Underground

    dam1.jpg
    (Summer re-run: first published 5 February 2008)

    Ever since learning about water mapping from Georg Bertsch and about watershed-based planning in Toronto from Chris Hardwick at Doors 9 on Juice last year, I’ve been aware that we talked a lot about energy but [continue …]

  • August 6, 2010

    most read

    Toxic sludge machine

    I was critical last week of commentators who describe the financial crisis as “psychological”.

    Those who blame a “lack of transparency” are on stronger ground – although ignorance of the facts or the law is not a valid excuse in other domains of life.
    piramid.png [continue …]

  • August 5, 2010

    moving

    Heathrow chaos: time to start digging?

    (Summer re-run: first published 31 March 2008)
    The chaos at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is an excellent example of what happens when the logic of finance interacts with the logic of large complex systems.
    As Will Hutton wrote at the weekend, shareholders in British Airways (its sole tenant) and BAA (which [continue …]

  • August 5, 2010

    food systems

    You can’t grow food with an iphone app – –

    cheese+laptop2.png
    – – but Tana Sprague *can* sample the sounds of Caciocavallo cheese maturing. I was curious, when I first heard about it, as to the meaning of ‘’Rurality 2.0′ – the theme of the Interferenze festival in Italy last week. So [continue …]

  • August 4, 2010

    food systems | most read

    The big chill

    Shopping for a snack in central London yesterday evening I counted an extraordinary 78 metres (256 feet) of chiller cabinets in one small central London branch of Marks and Spencer.
    Marks and Spencer have made a laudable commitment to make all it UK and Irish operations carbon neutral within five [continue …]

  • August 2, 2010

    most read

    Could ‘green’ energy kill the desert?

    WindFarmPalmSpringsCA.jpg
    (Summer re-run: first published 22 February 2009)
    One of the more remarkale sights on my recent trip was this vast wind farm outside Palm Springs. Located on the San Gorgonio Mountain Pass in the San Bernadino Mountains, it contains more than [continue …]

  • July 31, 2010

    perception

    The economics of attention

    (Summer re-run: first published 8 October 2006)
    In his review of Richard Lanham’s new book The Economics of Attention, Adrian Ellis says that “its core argument (is) that everyone is straining for distinction in a late capitalist global economy jammed with commodities and information, and that culture and creativity [continue …]

  • July 31, 2010

    most read

    Measuring what matters

    _45095061_rainforest226ap.jpg

    Totally lost amongst the financial news last week was discussion of a new report on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Teeb).
    According to this EU-commissioned study, the global economy is losing more money from the disappearance of forests than through the current banking [continue …]

  • July 31, 2010

    food systems | most read

    Fish systems and design

    fishmonger_seattle.jpg

    A grim new film, The End of the Line, reveals the impact of overfishing on our oceans. It exposes the extent to which global stocks of fish are dwindling; features scientists who warn we could see the end of most seafood by [continue …]

  • July 18, 2010

    knowing | most read

    Traditional knowledge: the dilemmas of sharing

    world bank ikons.png
    I learn from Kris de Decker’s excellent Low Tech Magazine that an International Traditional Knowledge World Bank (ITKI)has been launched.

    It’s an ambitious effort to preserve, restore and promote the re-use of traditional skills and inventions from all [continue …]

  • July 11, 2010

    commoning

    Live longer! become a micro-philanthropist!

    A Swedish study has found that ‘survival was 29 percent better in the donor group’. The study concerned kidney donors, it’s true – but we’re confident the principle also applies if you donate money to Doors of Perception and help us develop this site. A ‘donate’ button is on [continue …]

  • June 17, 2010

    commoning

    Of apocalypse and forest gardens

    Three hundred people came to South Devon in England for the fourth gathering of the Transition Network. They were a modest cross section of the many thousands of people now involved in 330 official Transition initiatives (up from 170 this time last year) and many more less formal groups around [continue …]

  • May 31, 2010

    food systems | most read | urban-rural

    Whole, whole on the range

    My toughest work this year has been serving on the jury of this year’s Buckminster Fuller Challenge. Our work has been demanding because we’ve had to assess high quality entries that range from the use of social media to organize urban food systems, and transforming Chicago into a [continue …]

  • May 5, 2010

    perception

    “Only connect…”

    pentagon.JPG.jpeg
    Global flows of money
    rainbow-oil-slick-water-pollution.jpg
    Global Thermohaline Circulation
    32.jpg

  • May 1, 2010

    most read

    What should design critics write about?

    What issues should the next generation of design critics write about? Where and how should they do this writing? And, how will they get paid for doing so? This is the text of my keynote talk yesterday to Crossing The Line at the School for Visual Arts in New York.

    “The [continue …]

  • April 18, 2010

    moving

    Dawn of the new age of coach travel?

    KatlaStoneCairns.jpg
    If Katla (above: she’s Eyjafjallajökull’s much bigger sister) blows, and grounds flights forever, will this finally be Dr Storkey’s moment?
    The blogwaves are already filled with links to Seat 61. But as I’ve Cassandra’d here repeatedly (yes, [continue …]

  • April 7, 2010

    development

    Don’t donate – invest

    We added a donate button. (It’s on the left). DoorsofPerception.com has been online – and free – since 1994. We’ve waited sixteen years before seeking your support. Now, we can use it.

  • April 7, 2010

    perception

    The Abbotshaugh Sentinel

    DSCF0017.JPG.jpeg
    old estate tree.png
    Could you create an earthwork of significant scale using excavated spoil? The site is in Falkirk, Scotland (56 01 20.95 N / 03 44 30.74 W).
    Christian Barnes and landscape architect John Kennedy have written a thorough and [continue …]

  • April 5, 2010

    most read

    In place of a “less bad” economy

    Foliose_lichen_130_d.gif
    “A thief who tells a judge he is stealing less than before will receive no leniency. So why do companies get environmental awards for polluting less – even though they are still polluting?”.
    Gunther Pauli is scornful in his new book [continue …]

  • April 3, 2010

    development | urban-rural

    Design, regions, and the two economies

    The stated ambition of Cornwall, in the the far south west of England, is to become a “green peninsular”. It’s an evocative concept, but people there interpret the word “green” in different ways.

    For example, although Cornwall aspires to become a “knowledge economy” it is more of a tourism economy at [continue …]

  • April 2, 2010

    food systems | most read

    Eating animals

    foer.png
    If Requiem for a Species (below) is shocking at an existential level, Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals hits you at the level of lunch.
    It’s no less gruelling for that. Among the in-your-face statements that pepper the text: “When we [continue …]

  • April 2, 2010

    earth repair

    Requiem for a species

    9781849710817.jpg
    “It’s too late to avert catastrophic change. Our politics and institutions are too dysfunctional to make elegant adaptations. We’d better prepare ourselves for surviving as best we can”.
    Clive Hamilton’s new book Requiem for a Species is not for [continue …]

  • March 31, 2010

    commoning

    What Does Social Innovation Actually Mean?

    The organiser of a conference in Poland asked me write an introduction to the programme: what is social innvation, and why does it matter?

  • March 4, 2010

    perception

    Polish Art in Beirut

    nicolas_grospierre_zory_2007_fotomontaggio_400.jpg
    An underground exhibition of Polish art in Beirut looks like a specialised event, even for me – only it features the work of the Polish photographer Nicolas Grospierre which makes it definitely worth a visit. Grospierre’s modified architectural photographs were a highlight for me [continue …]

  • March 1, 2010

    green finance

    Balanced budgets?

    eurofighter-mit-gbu-161.jpg
    A few weeks back I was talking to Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, a partner in the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta, when we were drowned out by the roar of a Eurofighter passing overhead. “One of those costs the same as a medium-sized [continue …]

  • February 18, 2010

    perception

    Electrosmog Festival

    RushHourinScotland-300x203.jpg
    Preparations for the ElectroSmog International Festival for Sustainable Immobility are gathering pace. An Electrosmog blog has been launched, and Doors of Perception has agreed to co-host a session on Friday 19 at deBalie, in the afternoon. Our focus will be on [continue …]

  • February 16, 2010

    knowing

    True Cost Design – In Three Steps

    The text of my talk at the 'Lens' conference in Bangalore in 2010.

  • February 16, 2010

    knowing | most read

    Bonfire of the Literacies: Service Design for Higher Education

    Service design for higher education (sort of)

  • February 16, 2010

    knowing

    Make Sense, not Stuff: A Three Step Plan to Connect Design Schools with the Green Economy

    The text of a talk about the green economy for Cumulus, the international network of design schools.

  • February 16, 2010

    knowing | most read

    What Should A University Do, And Be?

    My talk at a symposium in Helsinki called "Beyond Tomorrow" about what the new Aalto University should do, and be.

  • February 16, 2010

    knowing

    For sustainability champions: my book is now in Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese and Polish.

    4a701ae59f65f4.84703029.pngRule one in book publishing (where I worked for ten years) is: promote your own book, because nobody else will do so with as much energy and commitment. So, sorry to be brash, but please note the following:
    Today I received [continue …]

  • January 22, 2010

    knowing

    Have I cracked the the telepresence conundrum?

    girl-in-globe.jpg
    Last evening I particpated remotely from my home in France in a pre-event in Amsterdam of ElectroSmog International Festival for Sustainable Immobility.
    I didn’t use the fancy gadget in the photo above. My set-up yesterday was a bit, but [continue …]

  • January 22, 2010

    energy

    20. Bubble-glazing

    bubbleglazing.jpg
    Here is a late addition – number 20 – to our story of last week: 19 reasons to be cheerful after Copenhagen.
    Instructions: cut-to-fit; spray with water; bubbles face inwards. Done.
    (thx Miranda, for the new word)

  • January 18, 2010

    most read

    Doors of Perception projects portfolio

    green-shoot-in-rock.png
    Bulb-planting has started early at Doors HQ:
    – We’ve posted summary descriptions of the last ten years’ Doors of Perception projects – the idea being that we plan to do more projects like these ones, only better.
    – All City Eco Lab posts [continue …]

  • December 19, 2009

    most read

    19 reasons to be cheerful after Copenhagen (+1)

    The outcome of Copenhagen is depressing if you only look at what happened at the official summit, and persist in the belief that those guys are “world leaders”. They are not: they are followers, guardians of a dying regime. So don’t look at them. Hundreds of thousand [continue …]

  • December 15, 2009

    civic ecology

    Designing an associative life

    Government departments or ministries responsible for sustainability, or “the environment”, are too often constrained by small budgets and modest influence. Their very existence allows traditional departments – “industry”, “economic affairs”, “finance” or “transport” – to carry on their ecocidal ways as normal.

    A similar problem persists in business where Corporate Social [continue …]

  • December 15, 2009

    urban-rural

    Territorial development books

    rencontre_fete.jpg
    It has always been a point of pride at Doors of Perception events to curate the bookstore as carefully as we curate the speakers. We do this because when a conference theme cuts across disciplines – as ours do – no single bookseller is likely [continue …]

  • December 12, 2009

    development

    Hand-made clothes for all

    IMG_2894.JPG
    This Louis Vuitton ad features shoes which cost about 600 euros (US$700) in the shops. I don’t know how much Louis Vuitton pays for them, and I don’t know how much they will be paying Tony Blair to help [continue …]

  • December 3, 2009

    development | most read

    From King Parakramabahu to ethical fashion

    KingRaindrops.png
    Some people blame the Enlightenment for our present troubles.

    The scientific revolution, they say, gave man ideas above his station. We frequently harm natural systems, goes the charge, because of our delusional belief that we are separate from, and have dominion over, nature.

    This [continue …]

  • November 23, 2009

    knowing

    In the Palace of the Popes

    Is culture something that’s produced to be sold, or a description of the ways people live? It’s an old question, but last week’s Forum d’Avignon (see also my story below) put a new spin on it: could the culture industries lead the way out of the economic crisis?
    The debate [continue …]

  • November 18, 2009

    green finance

    Post-GDP: metrics, aesthetics, or ethics?

    1653-1258553610-statues-iles-de-paques---450x337.jpg
    So on Friday I’m immoderating a panel discussion about “After GDP” at the Forum d’Avignon, a uniquely French event which brings the worlds of culture, economy and media together in the Palais des Papes. By way of throwing an advance stone into the [continue …]

  • November 15, 2009

    perception

    epa!

    pic-4-jt_blog.jpg
    The highlight of my visit to Musashino Art University’s 80th Anniversary was this stunning fashion show called epa! (Thanks, Tatsu, for the pictures). An incredible amount of fine handwork was involved in the clothes and acccessories, but what struck me most was the [continue …]

  • November 12, 2009

    food systems

    From FarmVille to TransitionVille

    articleLarge.jpg
    If I were a PsyOps specialist at Monsanto, I’d have invented FarmVille. More than 62 million people have signed up to play the Facebook game since it made its debut in June, with 22 million logging on at least once a [continue …]

  • November 9, 2009

    urban-rural

    Spacing in

    spacing-radio011.jpg
    As you may have read in this month’s newsletter, I’m a new fan of Spacing. This excellent new-paradigm magazine and multi-city blog (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Atlantic, including Halifax) features daily dispatches from the streets of these places on “just about anything that involves the [continue …]

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Designing for life, caring for place (he/him)

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AmazonHeadwater avatar; Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative @AmazonHeadwater ·
22 Sep 1705272959177457799

#ClimateWeekNYC 🌎

“Nature is alive. The destruction of nature is a crime similar to genocide. We have to combine Indigenous-led protection of the land with the concept of rights of nature to make ecocide a crime globally”. @asoltani, Director of Global Strategy.

Image for the Tweet beginning: #ClimateWeekNYC 🌎

“Nature is alive. The Twitter feed image.
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greenfinanceobs avatar; Green Finance Observatory @greenfinanceobs ·
6 Sep 1699357536200056873

If you are looking for a list of the promoters of neoliberal and doomed financialisation of #nature, this is a good one.

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CarbonMrktWatch avatar; Carbon Market Watch @CarbonMrktWatch ·
20 Sep 1704439238249336973

Carbon Market Watch welcomes the deal reached by the European Parliament and Council of the EU to ban “carbon neutrality” claims. This sends a clear signal that these greenwashing practices are unacceptable.

Read our media statement: https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2023/09/20/carbon-market-watch-welcomes-eu-ban-on-carbon-neutrality-greenwashing/

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greenfinanceobs avatar; Green Finance Observatory @greenfinanceobs ·
20 Sep 1704442383708954788

New investigation finds that 78% of top 50 #carbon #offset projects are junk, 16% look problematic, whlie the efficacy of the remaining 6% cannot be determined definitively. #COP28

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Blog Topics

  • most read
  • biodiversity
  • bioregioning
  • care
  • civic ecology
  • commoning
  • development
  • earth repair
  • energy
  • food systems
  • green finance
  • knowing
  • moving
  • nature-connection
  • urban-rural

johnthackara

designing for life

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JOHNTHACKARA    designing for life

  • Blog
  • About
    • About my work
    • Profile
    • Talks & Conversations
    • Publications
    • Urban-Rural Projects
    • Videos
  • Meet in France
    • Meet in France
    • MeetUp
    • Offsite
    • Retreat (self directed)
  • Handouts
  • Archive

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Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at john [at] thackara [d o t com], 1993-2023

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