<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:'bookman old style', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><div>friends, spaceholdniks,</div><div><br></div><div>The 5th Principle conversation is taking place just when i've wanted to post on something connected to it.</div><div><br></div><div>first a little bit of background...</div><div><br></div><div>at the WOSonOS in San Francisco in 2008 a session was convened on "Coffeehouses that Matter," the premise being if ost is a nonstop coffeebreak, what if we could just forget about the facilitator and just have coffeehouses which were ost 24/7...a number of us who attended those sessions some three years ago since have been continuing the conversation informally.</div><div><br></div><div>A few months ago almost accidentally I learned of an organization which- surprise, surprise!- has been doing this work for some 15 years now, City
Repair. And the practice is called placemaking (spaceholding? placemaking??). </div><div><br></div><div>I think all of this is relevant and related to the whole conversation of, well, what does open space two point o look like, or what does wave riding look like. perhaps this is one of the answers?</div><div><br></div><div>every year, City Repair (Portland, Oregon, USA) organizes a Village Building Convergence (VBC number 11 is happening as we speak)-- different neighborhood sites organize workparties to build "places" within their neighborhood that would support and sustain the interactions necessary to make meaningful connections possible. To translate into ost language-- the grid system of organizing neighborhood has closed space, and this work is to reclaim and develop the space (working with nature, often with permaculture principles) to make it something that on its own will support the meaningful engagement we might experience in ost...all
the time!</div><div><br></div><div> For example, that might be to build a cob bench, or a solar powered "cat palace", or a self-service outdoor tea house, or make some subtle improvement to a community garden, or build a neighborhood outdoor kitchen...people show up wherever they wish, take part in the workparty, and in the evening there are presentations on all aspects of placemaking, with food and music.</div><div><br></div><div>It isn't (largely) an OST event, but the whole thing has much of the energy of one. Call it an un-unconference.</div><div><br></div><div>Learn more about City Repair at:</div><div><br></div><div><span><a target="_blank" href="http://cityrepair.org">http://cityrepair.org</a></span></div><div><br></div><div>the event guide lists the all the activities for this year's convergence:</div><div><span><a target="_blank"
href="http://vbc.cityrepair.org/assets/files/VillageBuilder2011v03.pdf">http://vbc.cityrepair.org/assets/files/VillageBuilder2011v03.pdf</a></span></div><div><br></div><div>this year's VBC video invite:</div><div><span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skG-_2RlsXo&feature=player_embedded">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skG-_2RlsXo&feature=player_embedded</a></span></div><div><br></div><div>Transforming Space into Place intro video</div><div><span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVq0exoGySc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVq0exoGySc</a></span></div><div><br></div><div>This year is the second year they are offering a Village Building Design Course, the purpose of which is to teach people placemaking. I took part in the first few days of the VBDC (and first night of VBC) and had to cut things short for personal reasons (family emergency). What I found, though, is unsurprisingly teaching village
building as they call it - or "hyperlocal placemaking"- is an emerging practice. It probably is something best remembered and not taught...</div><div><br></div><div>The co-founder of City Repair, architect Mark Lakeman, has had a life trajectory which echoes that of the Man in the Hat. For Mark who travelled the world in search of great (human) places, the point of (greatest) inspiration was being in a Mayan village...and i haven't heard that story yet...but apparently it had something to do with the butterfly.</div><div><br></div><div>There's a great chronology and context setting video (14 part video on youtube) about all of this here:</div><div><span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DGE9BtSK4Q">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DGE9BtSK4Q</a></span></div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps VBC is a open space on physical space??? </div><div><br></div><div>i look forward to visiting there again. what i saw was just jawdroppingly
amazing and inspiring.</div><div><br></div><div>much warmth,</div><div>raffi</div><div><br></div><div>p.s. curiously, the central venue for this year's vbc was a very friendly, relaxed, flexible Episcopal Church on, erm, Harrison St. And just a few blocks away there is a roundabout (think the letter "O"). And it's 2800 Harrison. If i have my math right, harrison, you were 28 when you were in liberia with the peace corps...</div><div><br></div><div>p.p.s. on wed evening they are having a "Village Skillshare" in "open space format"</div><div><br></div><div>p.p.p.s. if any of you would like to attend for any part of this event (it runs till june 5th) at short notice, i'm pretty sure you can...it's rather affordable and just pay at the door...</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div style="position:fixed"></div>
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