“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

―Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

It feels like a wild old time to be alive at the moment. It would be easy to feel like a leaf on the wind, blown about by external forces we have no control over. Global media and communications brings us every grim story from anywhere, and given the old adage ‘if it bleeds it leads’, the media, old or new, centralised or social, will largely focus on the worst, with the outrage effect hard at work.

What I am thinking about is what do we do with that, where do we go from here? I don’t believe we have the luxury of despair, and as Thich Nhat Hanh wrote “no mud, no lotus”. And if we look beyond our screens and our bubbles, there is light to see as well as dark. Starting with ourselves and in our decisions and our actions. I am sure we have a lot more power than we realise, over ourselves and more broadly in the world around us. Our own actions may seem small and inconsequential alone, but collectively, as a movement, that is a whole other matter. A drop alone, an ocean together.

Every action we take, every dollar we spend, is a powerful decision with impact and consequence and if we can be present for all of them, I believe we make an impact. Did I let someone in when driving, say thank you to the barista, give a coin to the person in need? How did I spend my money, where did I send my attention, call out one behaviour or support another? Every action we take, every thought we have has an effect, while we can have an affect.

I think that is exciting really, to know while we feel like the leaf we might also be the wind. That everything we do has impact and consequence. What the Buddha called dependant origination, which states that all phenomena arise in dependence upon other phenomena: “if this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist”. The basic principle is that all things (dharmas, phenomena, principles) arise in dependence upon other things.

I acknowledge that I am hopeful by nature, but it is a conscious choice and I would rather claim agency and power than give up. And we only need to look to those who have made a real difference if we feel hopeless and helpless. There is no doubt they did at times as well. The marvellous quote from Nelson Mandela is worth remembering at these times.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

―Nelson Mandela,Long Walk to Freedom

So let’s claim our presence and our power, let’s fight the good fight. And remember the words and the message of the Fab Four when we need to be energised. For after all, all you need is love.

As a city dweller, as someone passionate about the importance of cities and ambitious about what cities can and should be, I often think about what Ray Oldenburg named third places in the book The great good place. Third places are a central to an essential part of the life, texture and character of cities, not just giving life but creating the milieu to bring people together. We are social beings after all. I was reminded of this and of Oldenburg after re-discovering an interesting read from way back, Streets for People: A Primer for Americans by Bernard Rudofsky.

In The Great Good Place Oldenburg offered a series of characteristics of third places that offer a useful framework. These characteristics* include;

Open and inviting.

You don’t need an invitation or appointment, and you can come and go as you please.

Comfortable and informal.

You feel that you belong there.

Convenient.

It’s close enough to visit often, ideally right in your own neighbourhood.

Unpretentious.

Everyone is on the same level, there’s nothing fancy or fragile, and it’s not expensive.

There are regulars.

And often there’s a host who greets people as they arrive.

Conversation is the main activity.

Discussion, debate, and gossip are part of the mix.

Laughter is frequent.

The mood is light-hearted and playful. Joking and witty banter are encouraged.

*Oldenburg, Ray (2023). The great good place: cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons, and other hangouts at the heart of a community (2nd ed.). Great Barrington, Massachusetts: Berkshire Publishing Group LLC

Oldenburg’s colleague and co-author of a soon to be released updated version (I am excited to read), Karen Christensen also offers a great and succinct summary;

“A third place is a regular gathering spot where everyone is welcome and conversation is the main activity. Third places remind us that human connections need nurturing and that community depends on such simple things as a few tables, a friendly host, and a willingness to see what happens when we meet face-to-face.” - Karen Christensen

So third places are a very important part of a vibrant and connected city and society!

The built environment has a huge impact on our success in creating a diversity of third places. It’s quite striking to me how much texture and fine grain a really interesting and appealing city needs to and can have, and how important walkable spaces are to giving critical mass, viability, to the development and sustainability of a range of places in a neighbourhood that fill the need for and fit the bill of a third place. Cafes are a big part for many naturally (short macchiato please), although the need to buy something could be a barrier to entry for some. Libraries can be wonderful, as can markets, clubs, pubs, a dojo, park or many others. A group of friends walking laps of the local park is an essential part of my own rituals and routines.

The importance of the spaces we create demonstrates how much urban planning, transport modes and property development impact on these outcomes. At the risk of straying into cliché and generalisation, old cities built before cars, rigid zoning and low-density housing much more readily fit the model. Walkable, often built around a transport hub and with a range of housing. Cue a Parisian café daydream here, talking, writing or reading over macchiato or vino. Car dependant and atomised housing and areas with strong demarcation of function, not so much.

That part of cities which has grown and evolved over time also lends itself to re-invention and re-imagination, use changing as society changes and adapts form and function. Abbottsford convent here in Melbourne is a wonderful example of a just such re-imagined space that fits the bill in many ways. An open space with commercial elements, stunning gardens and buildings, even a school, it is rich in texture and diversity and welcomes a wide range of groups and activities. Located in a higher density inner urban area, it is also a valuable resource and public,

The rise of the virtual world also begs the question; can a virtual space be a third place? Interesting question and I expect answers and opinions will be broad and nuanced. The broader virtual world, such as gaming, work from home models, social media and the internet in general broadens the discussion of what makes for a third place in interesting ways. It got me to reflecting on the ubiquity and impact of social media, and the algorithms that shape what we see there more and more it seems, and whether they were of themselves third places. Or have undermined third places. Given that for all its usefulness, social media is often an instrument for outrage, the superficial and the commercial, it is hard not rush to judgement. Social media to me does not fit the bill of a third place as it is delivered and used as of now. Whether it can be I am not sure

But on the other hand, a huge number of gamers would make a very strong case for multi-player games as a vital place for connection, a plethora of virtual piazza on a global scale (anyone else here a fan of Ready Player One? Both book and movie). It seems to me that virtual third places can indeed be a thing, with a range of caveats around access, control, exclusion, algorithms and the risk of confirmation bias in echo chambers. Many of which are risks in real world spaces as well.

Time to circle back to the original proposition and the importance of third places as places for connection, not just with a narrow tribe but broader groups. It seems to me that amidst so much polarisation and the separation of different demographic and socio-economic groups, third places are more important than ever as places that bring people together. They build community, are social levellers and demographic melting pots.

So get out there and use them, make them, lobby for the and cherish them. We need them, more than ever I think.

Cities are amazing places, and can be re-imagined as green and verdant places for life, with every nook and cranny an opportunity. One of the highpoints (!) of Melbourne is the annual peregrine falcon hatching watched by all Melbourne. Nature abhors a vacuum and the heights of the city are home to a little miracle each year.

Book of the week. I have just re-read Be Here Now, by Ram Dass. Written in 1970 but a timeless message I believe. And the sort of book to keep coming back to. Different messages seem to pop up for me based on where attention flows - which can be quite informative about our state of mind at a point in time. Better yet, a couple of years back, George Harrison’s family (yes Beatle George), released a video with his quite marvellous song of the same name from the Living in the material world album. Well worth a watch.

The artwork of the video mirrors the book and between that, the music and the message I reckon it is pretty special.

It’s a tradition in our household to watch an old movie each week and revisit some absolute classics. While there is lots of great creative work all around us al the time, there is also a treasure trove to enjoy again. Highbrow it ain’t but high fun it is, we have started to work our way through Raiders of the Lost Ark, starting with the original. Some films don’t age so well but this was as much fun as we remembered it being. Well worth a watch!

And to finish, a quote to remember when we are all feeling overwhelmed and a bit powerless in a tough old world. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
― Margaret Mead

City - from the Latin cīvitās, citizenship or state, from cīvis citizen

This is the first on what I plan to be an extended discussion on cities, the cradle and engine room of what we call civilisation. Home to the majority of us (55% currently and 70% by 2050 according to the UN), central to our economies, culture and society, cities should be ground zero for our greatest ambitions and audacious plans, not places where we accept mediocrity or inhuman habitats. I am no urban planner (although I did my postgraduate in urban policy) but write as a citizen (cīvis… city), flaneur, city dweller and on the principle what we should all write about and act on what we want to see in the world.

After all, if not us, who, if not now, when? Cities and their impacts cover a lot of ground, from transport to design, to greening to energy, so this is fertile ground. There is so much amazing stuff to think about and aspire to in our cities!

There must be few subjects with more words and thoughts devoted to them than cities. When we talk of them, often city and civilization are almost interchangeable words. Names like Ur, Beijing, Harappa, Athens or Rome are fabled, cities and stories that have been at the heart of civilisation for millennia. Now as much or maybe more than ever, cities are at the heart of civilisation and stories. As well as nations we talk of the great cities of the world. Tokyo, Rio, New York, London, Istanbul, Shanghai, Mumbai, Cairo, Melbourne and many more. More and more of us live in cities, and they are the engine room of economic activity, as well as a hot bed artistic and cultural dynamism and creativity.

Yet cities also can carry many negative connotations and associations. From pollution to traffic, crime to heat spots, there is much to keep media in business. But I believe that much of what we see as negatives, or even necessary evils, in cities are much more to do with failures of planning, of governance, of engagement and indeed of imagination.

So, my starting point is, what if cities could be something quite different from the assumed necessary evils? And if not, why not? Quiet places, clean and green places, beautiful places and connected places. They can and should be all these things, and we all have the capacity to be a voice to shape and steer to that if we have the information, the ambition and the audacity to strive for it.

To kick off, cities and energy. Cities have been massive demand centres, sitting at the centre of a spiders web of supply chains and transmission lines. 80% of energy consumption is city based, and 70% of carbon emissions. But one of the most exciting elements of the energy revolution we are undergoing as we shift to an electrified economy driven by de-centralised renewables, firmed by batteries, is a chance to completely re-imagine cities as a major source of electrons and as a manager of electrons as well as a major user of them. The rise of the electric car, with vehicle to load and vehicle to grid capacity also adds a whole dimension to this as well.

A fascinating article done out of the Australian National University (ANU) here points to the game changing opportunity we have. “Distributed energy storage (DES) resources, such as electric vehicle batteries and hot water storage, can provide significant, currently underutilised, demand flexibility to support the uptake of variable renewable energy sources.” Storage and load shifting are potential game changers, smoothing out the peaks and troughs of the grid and turning existing and emerging city infrastructure into a key and localised part of the energy system.

Add to that the meteoric growth of small scale solar in countries like Australia and the emergence of new technologies like photovoltaic solar windows and the potential for cities to generate some or all of their power needs, or even be an exporter, is hugely exciting. A Monash university 2022 study here highlights the potential of technology such as this. Just imagine buildings that are energy independent, or even net exporters. A whole forest of electron producing skyscrapers, rooftops, pavements (permeable of course) and windows.

All of this ties into a complete re-imagining of how we produce, store and use energy that is enormously positive for cities if we grasp the opportunity. If you are interested, RethinkX has done some fascinating work on what our energy future can look like, and have a plethora of resources well worth reading, such as this piece. The good news being that it is also the cheapest approach. Market price signals already preference solar, wind and batteries - the capex of new solar is less than the opex of coal in Australia, which is an extraordinary inflection point (Bloomberg New Energy Finance). And the development of cheaper and better batteries and rise of electric cars is also a watershed moment.

I have started with cities and electrons as a part of the process of re-imagining cities as much more dynamic parts of the demand and supply chain in every way. And if we see cities as part of the energy supply chain as well as massive users, why not go from there to think about every other aspect as well?

Food use, cradle to cradle solutions around inputs and outputs and cities as a valuable resource in many ways is where we go next.

To kick things off, what I’m reading. I have a habit (good, bad, I don’t know) of reading a few books at once. Sometimes a book needs some think time, or maybe just because. Regardless, here are a couple that are well worth a look if you have the inclination and time.

Matt Strassler has written a fabulous book on modern physics around waves and particles (with a deep dive into the Higgs boson) for the layperson, ‘Waves in an impossible Sea’. Quite fascinating and a revelation. I think I will be reading it three or four times before I really get a handle on it and I hesitate to even try and summarise it. But if you are curious about the foundations and nature of pretty much everything, this is fabulous. It is also really interesting how current knowledge (hypothesis?) echoes some of the teachings of ancient mystics around form and formlessness and the illusion of solidity. But thats one for a long form piece!

Equally interesting and dealing with another fundamentally important and complex area, is Mark Epstein’s ‘Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart: A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness’. Weaving together the insights of Buddhism and western psychotherapy, I found this both thought provoking and really helpful. Wisdom old and new helping us to learn a little more about ourselves. Another book that will require a number of reads to really get a handle on, for me anyhow.

And to finish on a completely different note, a recent rambling through the lanes of my hometown, Melbourne led me down this gem. I am more than a bit biased about my hometown and the fine grain where 19th century lanes lie around the corner from modern skyscrapers is part of what makes it marvellous. I reckon so anyhow.

“Curiosity (from the Latin cūriōsitās, from cūriōsus “careful, diligent, curious”, akin to cura “care”) is a quality related to inquisitive thinking, such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident in humans and other animals”

A journal has to start with a first step, and it seemed right to start with what I mean by a curious mind. It turned out that in writing about this that just what I think it means has a whole lot more to it, and how to cultivate real curiosity has a lot of layers to explore. Which is the whole point of exploring curiosity, ourselves and the world around us really.

To get to it then. I came across the term Flaneur a while back. The word and its meaning resonated with me, in particular the emphasis on slowing a little, taking things in and observing. The leisurely wanderer strolling part is appealing also I confess!

Curiosity I think starts with the mindset of a Flaneur, of cultivating an open and observant approach. Of looking up and out and of paying attention. The capacity to slow a little, change the focus up and really look around, with open mind and real interest pretty much sum up some essential qualities for a curious mind. The conception of what a Flaneur is, got me to thinking about how everything can be/should be interesting looked at a certain way. And that there is a lot of enjoyment to be had from finding interest everywhere, through having a curious mindset. Stories are all around once we start to look for them.

Being curious and attentive also means being very present in the here and now. Which is a really good way to be on a whole lot of levels. ‘Be here now’, as Ram Dass wrote and George Harrison sang. Presence is a powerful practice for us all to work on and philosophers, yogis and mystics have expounded on it for millennia. More on that another day!

What is also really interesting to consider as we try to cultivate curiosity, is how much what we see and how we interpret it is shaped by our preconceptions, judgements, habits and personal experience. So, the next step in cultivating the mindset of curiosity, of openness, includes a whole lot of work on self-awareness to get past the filters of conscious and unconscious bias we all have. And from that self-awareness comes the chance get beyond the filters to see a whole lot more.

This practice seems to me to be a great way to cultivate empathy and better understanding of others as well. By which I mean, wondering about the how, why and what someone else interprets in the same thing we see, hear or read in their own way. After all, many of the truths we cling to depend on our point of view. Getting to that elevated point is easier said than done of course mostly aspirational for me at least. All tips to get there are welcome.

That’s my starting point then for the curious mind, for now anyhow. Everything is pretty fascinating in some way, everything is a chance to expand knowledge and understanding, and the curious mindset needed for this is a practice and chance to develop ourselves as we go. Or I hope so anyway.

So, let’s be about it and start exploring.