At one extreme master planned 'communities' can be soulless,sterile suburbs. The danger at the other extreme is social engineering. The question I have is can a city with character and soul be created without community input?

I went down to the Caloundra South display centre yesterday and spent a few hours with a friend discussing the possiblities and problems.  More >>

Where does the balance lie for material and psychological need in times of natural disaster?  More >>

 "An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and are often part of the alternative society. They typically also share responsibilities and resources. Intentional communities include cohousing communities, ecovillages, communes, survivalist retreats, kibbutzim, ashrams and some housing cooperatives. Typically, new members of an intentional community are selected by the community's existing membership, rather than by real-estate agents or land owners (if the land is not owned collectively by the community)."(wikipedia) More >>

People with disabilities should be able to join in mainstream society, have fun and enjoy cultural activities like anyone else. More >>

Carbon reduction and keep all the mod cons?  It's really just about spreading the word..... More >>

We've been to Hel(met) and back in the last week!   The rights and wrongs of wearing bicycle helmets have been passionately discussed in the paper (mostly online) and on radio over the last couple of weeks.  Fact is it is illegal not to.   More >>

Did you know that SE Qld has been identified globally as one of two national hotspots for climate change impact? Whether you agree that climate change is caused by humans or not, community resilience in extreme weather events is already important (who could forget recent floodings and bushfires?) It is also vital for a sustainable future. More >>

What's the glue that sticks communities together?  Do we have some of it?  You bet!   More >>

When Mike Shone had just joined the social board we had a lengthy conversation about which affordable AND sustainable housing models we could explore in the Biosphere. I was dreaming about creating NEW learning community clusters from scratch. Mike was suggesting the social board should aim for a 'RETROFIT'.  More >>

Mental ill health and particularly suicide takes such a terrible toll on families, friends and society it is difficult to understand how support for those suffering is largely left up to families and communities through voluntary support organisations.  I say ‘largely’ because it is true there are government programs and social enterprises such as religious organisations and a variety of (under) funded organisations, staffed by poorly paid support workers, who do their best for people in need. More >>