Thinking about transitions

The Planning and Environment Research Group (PERG) for the Royal Geography Society had its annual get together last week in Birmingham. The aim was to think about issues around transitions and climate change. Somewhat surprisingly, many of the geographers present were engaged in practical projects a long way from the ivory towers of academia. The workshop covered a lot of ground, since papers were circulated beforehand. Attendees were therefore spared two days of powerpoints, which allowed for much longer discussions on the issues. Not so surprising was the constant debate about what transitions are and who they are for, with a lot of criticism on the so called ‘Dutch School’ of transitions...a discussion far from finished by this group of geographers.

Amanda Smith from Nottingham Trent University gave some feedback from her work with
the Nottingham Transitions Town group (http://www.transitionnottingham.org.uk/) and their focus on community resilience, permaculture, changing behavior and the desire to be seen as ‘apolitical’. A discussion on whether the transition town network had a cult feel with its ten steps to happiness took up some of the questioning, as did the inaction of a number of transition town groups and the often bumpy relationships with local authorities.

Harriet Bulkeley from Durham University gave an overview of initial findings from her mammoth quest to create a database of hundreds of transition experiments from cities across the globe. Harriet went on to show how the collection of over 450 of these experiments shows the diversity of different things going on and the different ways community groups and local authorities are thinking about the challenges of climate change. Manchester had a number of entries into the database which will be finished over the next year.

Sarah Hards from York University presented some of her initial research looking at people lifestyles in relation to addressing climate change and how transitions in individual lives are shaped by their location in specific times and places. Does this mean that people in Manchester are transitioning differently to people in neighbouring cities?

Other discussions included how communities are adapting in Hull to the danger of flooding and what this means to different neighbourhoods in terms of being prepared for climate change affects. A paper about public building energy systems in Burkino Faso began a fascinating debate about the responsibility of African countries to lower their carbon emissions...should they bother when people are poor and hungry? Should historical polluters such as the UK pay for these changes? and should African
cities see these as challenges or opportunities?

It was good to see much of the research supporting practical action alongside communities and local authorities showing the positive role academics can play in addressing climate change challenges.

These conversations will continue at the annual Royal Geographical Society conference in London 1st to 3rd September. You can email James Evans,(james.z.evans@manchester.ac.uk) a Manchester based geographer for more information about the work of the PERG group.

All papers are available for download on the blog http://pergtransition.wordpress.com/abstracts
"MCFly's roving reporter"

MCFly 015: Green Guru, Transition Meeting, Green Party

Green Guru up for GRaBS

Green Guru Dr Jeremy Carter has been appointed to provide academic leadership in the latest European initiative, titled Green and Blue Space Adaptation or GRaBS, which will help ten cities adapt to the effects of climate change.

The project will raise awareness amongst the local and regional authorities about which neighbourhoods are at risk, the main dangers they face and ways to respond to them. Carter remarked that “The differences between those cities which choose to adapt and those who do not will be stark.”

[Dr Carter has kindly done an email interview with MCFly, which will be posted very soon.]

A Transition's Gonna Come?
The Transition Movement has sprung up to equip communities to tackle the twin problems of peak oil and climate change. On Weds Jan 21 SERA is hosting a meeting at the Town Hall about a possible "Transition City Manchester" project. A transition project for Hulme recently folded. See also www.transitiontowns.org, and a critique of the concept here: www.trapese.org

Greens want Mancunian Green New Deal
The Green Party has launched its campaign for the West Didsbury by-election with a call for a "Green New Deal" to tackle the major issues of climate change and recession. Proposals include supporting cheap, regular public transport, improved parking within the area as well as protecting local public space such as Marie Louise Gardens.

Housing has also been highlighted as an important issue and Greens want the Council to purchase private houses which stand empty to help tackle the 30,000 waiting list for social housing. Geoff Evans, the Green Party candidate, remarked that “we are now missing a golden opportunity to fight recession by creating jobs, build a 1st class public transport system and help the fight against climate change.” See www.manchestergreenparty.org.uk

Journal Review- The Fourth World Review, Oct 2008

The Fourth World Review: A Transition Journal
No 147
October 2008
£3
32 A5 pages, stapled

The Fourth World Review has been going more than forty years “as a response to the ongoing global crises to assert the supremacy of local community power and the moral control of public affairs on the basis of that power.”
The editorial for this issue implies that it's had a bit of a second wind from the recent upsurge in activity- or preparation for activity- that goes under the banner of “Transition Towns.”
Articles here include “GM crops and eugenics,” “Why we should care about ecosystems,” “Quid pro co-production” and “Alternative Currencies.” There are also book reviews and an entertaining collection of observations at the back, the “Fourth World Spectator.”
All the articles are “bite-sized”- easy to read while waiting for a bus or in the smallest room. Only one of the articles (by Rob “Transition Towns” Hopkins) has further reading lists. Most- though not all- are clearly written, though all could have done with a little spicing up.

There are no pictures or cartoons, making it intimidating for some, and less engaging than it needs to be. Most seriously, there is no reference to the recent (and in this reviewer's opinion) telling criticisms of the “Transition” model by various folks, including the SchNews crew down in Brighton. Perhaps this was already alluded to in a previous issue, or will be soon.

Still, definitely one to watch, and who can argue with their mantra- “The one to act is me. The place to act is here. And the time to act is now.”
MCFly will review future issues as and when appropriate.