At its simplest I am trying to help people in their homes and in their neighborhoods see the systems that they are intimate parts of so they can better relocalize creativity.
That requires a series of tools starting with a list of the **parts** of the neighborhood. Next add relevant **relationships** between the parts. Then adding the ability to recognize the effects of **time** on the **behavior** of the system. And then allow that neighborhood system to be changed through new **processes**, new **projects**, or even new **programs** that are conceived of and initiated and managed **by the people** in the neighborhood.
I do believe that Visualizing Systems through diagrams is critical. I also believe Understanding Systems through narrative and stories is equally critical.
That pretty much sums up what I am up to.
That requires some pretty clever technology. It requires some attentiveness to social systems, sociology, and politics.
In the end it will be up to the neighborhoods to improve the tools and use them.
Our present job is to create a set of interacting tools (platform) that are useful to and usable by people already engaged in Cooperative Neighborhood Action.
The Federated Wiki community has been developing such tools for more than a decade. We are now extending the FedWiki to provide an open source platform for neighborhoods.
Carl McDaniels and his associates in the Columbia Valley Community in Whatcom County, WA are our pilot users.