La Leche League Oxford runs a Maternity Clothes Library, for a small fee per item (currently £2) maternity clothes can be hired and kept for the whole pregnancy. They have many sizes and styles available as well as smart wear for that special night out before the baby arrives. They also have a small number of breastfeeding clothes available.

This idea is something I’ve never come across before, but such a simple and meaningful one. The idea of a library of (fill word in here) extending beyond books like this one, has such great potential to help out communities and individuals in need.

http://www.llloxford.org.uk/LLLmcl.html

Imagine you are walking around your city, and you see an amazing piece of street art in the wall of a building. You go next to it, like in a museum, and take a look at the tag next to the piece of art, identifying the artists, the techniques he used, and also, if you have your iPod in hand, an audioguide track recorded by the artist himself, talking about his art and inspirations.

That’s exactly what we did in Lisbon, with the World’s First Ephemeral Museum. We cataloged more than 100 pieces of street art in 3 major neighborhoods around Lisbon, and with your mp3 player and map in hands, that you previously downloaded from the Ephemeral Museum Website, you can walk the city streets like a real museum.

Every important piece of street art is tagged and identified. This way people could enjoy and understand more Street Art while walking through the biggest museum in the world, the streets of Lisbon.

We are working to open new galleries in Madrid, Barcelona, and São Paulo.

http://www.museuefemero.com/

Just like the Brixton Pound, Ithaca Hours is a local currency system that promotes local economic strength and community reliance that will support economic and social justice, ecology, community participation and human aspirations.

In Ithaca, New York, the group who started the alternative currency have gained control of the social and environmental effects of commerce by issuing over $110,000 of their own local paper money, to thousands of residents, since 1991. Tens of thousands of purchases and many new friendships have been made with this cash, and millions of dollars value of local trading has been added to the Grassroots National Product. They printed their own money because they watched Federal dollars come to town, shake a few hands, then leave to buy rainforest lumber and fight wars. Ithaca’s Hours, by contrast, stay in the region to help people hire each other. While dollars make people increasingly dependent on transnational corporations and bankers, Hours reinforce community trading and expand commerce which is more accountable to the concerns for ecology and social justice.

Here’s how it works: the Ithaca Hour is Ithaca’s $10.00 bill, because ten dollars per hour is the average of wages/salaries in Tompkins County. These Hour notes, in five denominations, buy plumbing, carpentry, electrical work, roofing, nursing, chiropractic, child care, car and bike repair, food, eyeglasses, firewood, gifts, and thousands of other goods and services. Credit unions accept them for mortgage and loan fees. People pay rent with Hours. The best restaurants take them, as do movie theaters, bowling alleys, two large locally-owned grocery stores, the local hospital, many garage sales, 55 farmer’s market vendors, the Chamber of Commerce, and 300 other businesses. Hundreds more have earned and spent Hours who are not in the Hour Town directory.

The Success Stories of 300 participants published so far testify to the acts of generosity and community that the system prompts. A community is being made while making a living. As the Hours do so, they relieve the social desperation which has led to compulsive shopping and wasted resources. At the same time Ithaca’s locally-owned stores, which keep more wealth local, make sales and get spending power they otherwise would not have. And over $10,000 of local currency has been donated to over 100 community organizations so far, by the elected Hour board of directors. We regard Ithaca’s Hours as real money, backed by real people, real time, real skills and tools. Dollars, by contrast, are funny money, backed no longer by gold or silver but by less than nothing- $8.4 trillion of national debt.

HOURS expand the local money supply
HOURS promote and expand local shopping, with an endless multiplier
HOURS double the local minimum wage to $10.00, benefitting not only workers but businesses as well, who find new and loyal customers.
HOURS enable shoppers to afford premium prices for locally-crafted goods and for locally-grown organic food.
HOURS help start new businesses and jobs
HOURS reduce dependence on imports and transport fuels
HOURS make grants to nonprofit community organizations
HOURS make zero-interest loans
HOURS stimulate community pride

http://www.ithacahours.org/index.php

In partnership with Channel 4, Landshare is a service that allows people who are either a landowner, grower or helper to post a listing on the website, offering their services or needs. The concept of land sharing and making use of unused spaces, especially in built up cities such as London really brings back the ‘blitz spirit’ that started to emerge during the war. Self sufficiency and food production is a sensitive issue these days due to the problems with landfills, supermarkets, food prices and even nutrition values. There’s great demand for allotments and garden spaces in London (10 years in some cases), so there is obviously huge demand and tiny supply. Landshare and other websites such as yours2share are trying to solve this problem.

The idea seems so fundamental, land, food and cooperation, and yet maybe the English attitude to gardens and land ownership is very different in other cultures? Portland, Oregon in America for example, is a place where land use is currently a big issue, with 20,000+ acres of land currently vacant and farmland is restricted due to controversial regulations. Land sharing could make use of unusual spaces more effectively in cities like Portland, especially when regulations are currently in place, everything from back gardens to local parks.

http://landshare.channel4.com/

Transition Towns start off when a small collection of individuals within a community come together with a shared concern.

They begin by forming an initiating group with the intention of engaging a significant proportion of the people in their community to kick off a Transition Initiative. A Transition Initiative is a community working together to look at problems squarely in the eye and address them.

After going through a comprehensive and creative process of: awareness raising, connecting with existing groups in the community, building bridges to local government, forming groups to look at all the key areas of life and kicking off projects aimed at building people’s understanding of resilience, 15-20 year projects are formed.

This results in a coordinated range of projects across all  areas of life that strives to rebuild the resilience towns have lost as a result of problems such as cheap oil and carbon emissions.

The communities also recognise two crucial points: that they immense amounts of creativity, ingenuity and adaptability on the way up the energy upslope, and that there’s no reason for us not to do the same on the downslope, if we collectively plan and act early enough there’s every likelihood that we can create a way of living that’s significantly more connected, more vibrant and more in touch with our environment.

Examples of existing Transition Towns can be found here. From the UK to Australia to New Zealand to Italy to Japan, Transition Towns are currently evolving everywhere.

http://www.transitiontowns.org/

Just like all the Bicycle Schemes, StreetCar and StreetVan are a pay-as-you-go scheme based in London and other cities around the UK. The basic concept is car sharing. On average, for every car shared, this takes six private cars off the road. There are other car sharing schemes and initiatives in place, but StreetCar and StreetVan have become one of the leading company dealing with the issue. Others include Zip Car and general car sharing websites such as Lift Share and Car Share.

The difference with StreetCar compared to general car sharing websites, is that it has cars parked in a dense network of dedicated spaces, typically within a few minutes walk of the next car; instead or having to arrange your own car share. You can use one for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 6 months. They are reserved online or by phone, and can be collected and returned 24/7 using one of the StreetCar smartcards. The fleet is made up of brand new Volkswagen Golfs and Volkswagen Polo BlueMotions. StreetVans are also available to customers for transporting heavier objects. The cost of your usage is based on how long you have the car and how far you drive but unless you’re a heavy car or van user, the annual cost of StreetCar or StreetVan will be dramatically less than owning a car and with lots of the hassle of car ownership removed. By seeing the location list, you can see StreetCar has made their fleet convenient for when you are out and about and to simply book a car and drive off shortly afterwards. StreetCar and StreetVan even pay for your petrol and congestion charge in the London area. The videos below explain more.With over 70,000,000 cars on the road in America, StreetCar and Streetvan is definitely an idea that could be taken to countries like the US to reduce emissions and to encourage people to car share. And what’s more is that it is cheaper. If StreetCar was to develop over there though, I think an even bigger fleet of cars per city and state would be needed, possibly beginning the idea in the states that have the most car usage. Perhaps a different selection of cars to be used instead of the VW’s here would also persuade American’s to use the pay-as-you-go service. Maybe this could be on Obama’s ‘to do list’.

http://www.streetcar.co.uk/

http://www.streetvan.co.uk/

We Are What We Do began life in a corner of East London, as an offshoot of Community Links, an inner-city charity that runs projects in Newham, one of the poorest boroughs in Europe.

Back in 2004, Community Link’s founder, David Robinson, decided to write a paper. It was called Reconnecting and it included his thoughts, based on 25 years as a community worker, on the need for change in society and the power of people coming together to make it happen. He gathered a group of people from the creative industries, business, voluntary sector and government to do something about this. Among this group was Eugenie Harvey, an Aussie with a background in communications and marketing. She met David, felt her calling, quit her job and took up the reigns.

A few late-night pow-wows and a vat of coffee later, We Are What We Do was born. A simple idea, encouraging people to do small everyday actions to make a difference and improve positive lives.

Actions range from writing a letter to taking time to listen to planting a tree. With a nicely designed online interface as well, WAWWD has really tapped into how people currently live their lives. Most of us are ‘too busy’ to do most of these action on the website, but WAWWD encourages people to take a step back and try out any of their current 129 actions.

http://wearewhatwedo.org/

The British DJ & MC Academy is a fresh, innovative, youth arts social enterprise that has been set up since February 2008, starting from an eight-week course with just five students. Now, more than 2,000 young people have now been involved and the Academy is having an impact on the estates and communities of the streets of London.

DJ Trickles (Krissy Simms) & Lady MC (Kerry O’Brien), both award nominees and artists for fourteen years, who have hosted their own radio show on the award winning Kool FM started the Academy. They worked together for five years and decided to set-up the academy to help other young artists who find it hard to get into the business. As the organisation developed, the duo realised that music was a huge engagement tool to capture young people who may be at risk from negative activities and going down the wrong path. They music to guide young people back into education, training or simply by offering positive activities to express emotions and to be used as a positive channel deterring reactive behaviour and attitudes.

The academy is now working in partnership with two colleges, the top three housing associations in the UK, seven boroughs across London and over ten youth organisations and charities targeting young people aged 11-25 of all ethnic backgrounds, who are not in education or training. Youth can take part in workshops and accreditations up-to BTEC and NVQ Level 4. The courses offered range from radio presenting, music production, positive lyrical writing to drama and dance workshops.

The Academy is unique because we guarantee on-going support in any area of young people’s lives through partnership organisations, who work as referrals to offer sustainability using the courses as a stepping stone. The academy is supported by KAM and RWD Magazine, which offer free materials for the young people and features in the magazine. In return, people perform at their events such as the Plasa Exhibition 2008 and Notting Hill Carnival.

http://www.djandmcacademy.com/

Cities x Design as featured on DESIGN 21, is a 35-city trans-media research trip across the United States that is recorded online and will later be released in film, exhibition and book form. Through visits, observations, and interviews Cities x Design will examine, during this time of economic instability and questioning about America’s future, the connections between cities, local culture and people in the United States. It will highlight how investing in design can change perceptions, boost economies and create unique places.

The documentary created will explore cities where local creativity, commerce and culture merge. It will highlight people, organizations and businesses that use design as a medium to reflect a deeper understanding of their city’s identity. It will reveal the diversity that lives in America’s most creative corners: from a cutting-edge entrepreneur who is working with the New Orleans Government to regenerate a historic riverfront, to a graphic design firm in Austin working with local musicians, a Native-American fashion designer in Santa Fe, or a small furniture company in Denver that uses domestically sourced material. The website, book, exhibition and film will showcase people who play an important role in the regeneration, tourism, branding, and creative economy of their cities. Their ideas are inspired by authenticity, craftsmanship, local identity and culture. These people are charting a new course for a sustainable future in American cities.

Cities x Design began in Orlando, Florida and will pass through New Orleans, Austin, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Boise, Salt Lake City, Boulder, Denver, Omaha, Iowa City, Minneapolis, Madison, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Columbus, Lexington, Knoxville, Atlanta, Charleston, Savannah and Miami.

The idea of taking around a group of people in a sort of ‘tour’ format, to travel around individual countries trying to solve problems has such potential, and doesn’t just need to be design. Imagine taking an MP, philosopher, plumber, businessman, student and a vicar around your country putting their heads together to try and solve local problems within communities. More of this type of conversation I think should take place regularly and documented online like Cities x Design does. A worldwide network of ‘tour buses’ could be created perhaps?

http://trip.citiesxdesign.org/

Paris, Oslo, Vienna, Miami, soon London and trials run in Brussels, Barcelona, Toronto and New Delhi are just a few cities worldwide that have introduced public bicycle schemes. Paris is known for its ‘Vélib’ scheme with over 20,000 bike scattered across the French capital and with over 350 km (215+ miles) of cycle lanes to be used. Oslo’s scheme began about three years before Paris’ did using over 80 biking stations and has been operating successfully since. And now major outdoor advertisers such as JCDecaux plan to roll out more bicycle schemes including the ambitious project here in London, backed by Mayor Boris Johnson. These initiatives root from influential countries where bikes are a way of life, Holland being one of them, and Beijing, whose ‘9 million bicycles’ are unfortunately rapidly turning into four wheels.

After being in Paris and Barcelona myself, the simplicity of the idea is brilliant. You need a bike, you put the money in, you unlock the bike and you are off. Each country varies in it’s approach to the design and logistics of the schemes, but all have two aspects in common, a beneficial idea for the environment and a healthy option for the public. It’s obvious to see that these schemes are spreading quickly and working well as more and more people seek a healthier lifestyle and to save money in the financial downfall we currently are in.

What could improve the idea you may ask? Well my opinion on that would be promoting the schemes to the people who really need to know about it. Conscious people actively seek initiatives like these bike schemes, so I believe it’s up to people like Boris Johnson to find alternative ways of advertising the schemes. If you could get that commuter who uses his car to drive to the train station, to change on to the tube, to change one of those journeys and use a bike instead, well that’s where I feel the real gold lies.

Something else that should be taken into consideration however is systems that lie behind these pay-as-you-go bikes. For example, theft and vandalism has become a problem with the Paris schemes and in London and New Delhi there will no doubt issues with road safety. Placing bikes on the streets and inviting people to use them is one thing, but would more people use them if they knew that the whole city also wants them too?

More information and articles about these bike schemes can be found below. You can download the proposal by JCDecaux of their scheme and see what goes into its thinking, from logistics to design here.

http://www.rudi.net/node/17462

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301753.html

http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/media/article/570028/jcdecaux-roll-city-bike-hire-scheme-capitals/

http://spokesnfolks.blogspot.com/2009/08/miami-bicycle-plans-looking-good.html

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/02/19/urban-bike-sharing-system-coming-to-london/

http://www.bicyclinginfo.org