Carol Sanford and Joel Glanzberg on Chautauqua, KVNF, Public Radio. We explore the meaning of Story of Place® in creating Developmental Economies® and regenerating communities.

“Developmental Economies®” (DE) involve the Business community in a different and more effective way. DE is a way of improving the vitality and viability of existing business and creating and incubator for new businesses that extend the uniqueness of the region and its “vocation”. Every PLACE has a uniqueness and out of that comes an opportunity to create unique value-adding (rather than value-added) offerings that cannot be copied and as a result become valued in the region and beyond for their uniqueness and distinctiveness that mirrors the PLACE itself. The cities where this has happened, for examples Portland OR, Curitiba, Brazil, have increased greatly the wealth and prosperity of a place and overcome the hazards that traditional economic development causes. It also makes a more cohesive community within its diversity of creativity. You can stream it or download it for listening to later.

CCC Constructing a Road

If money is like water then it may be helpful to look at the economic stimulus package from an ecological point of view, since hydrology and ecology are so tightly linked.

There is a principle of living systems: it is not the absolute amount of a resource that determines health, but the speed at which the resource moves through the system. This is why our intestines meander. Food and water need to travel something like two miles to get through the few feet between our two ends. This allows our bodies to absorb the greatest amount of nutrients and water possible.

Healthy rivers and streams also meander. If a stream moves languidly, the water and nutrients it carries have a greater chance to nourish the landscape. And a well-nourished landscape creates a stable channel and storage system for the stream. More