With encouragement and support, a small resident population can work cooperatively and democratically to begin the transition within a year. Democracy cannot flourish under large-scale orders. And without living democracies by which communities can attain cooperative autonomy, there can be no sustainability. This is because the very support mechanisms of large-scale orders also divorce human life patterns, and thus consciousness, from the regenerative qualities of the Earth. United with these qualities, psychologically-speaking as well as physically, people achieve their ability to live regeneratively.
Timing is right for an effort at the neighborhood level.
Citizens from every walk of life are voicing heightened desire for restored communities and environments. As Lewis Mumford reminded post-war America, cities do not have to command over the landscape as evil machines. On the contrary they can thrive as dynamic centers of healing, creativity and natural beauty, not only to leave a legacy for future generations but to enable current generations to enjoy a transformation during their own lifetimes. The Ecotopia Project is dedicated to helping that exquisite vision come to pass. The Ecotopia Resource Directory and Website's purpose is to serve as a clearinghouse of ecological resources useful to urban neighborhoods.