If you can only develop an EDAP when you already have significant community buy-in and support – and that means 10 to 50 % of the population have come across the ideas then what may be feasible in Totnes doesn’t seem to be practical in a place like Nottingham. Across our conurbation as a whole that would mean 60,000 to 300,000 people.

It seems to us that would put writing an EDAP a long time in the future….by which time things would have moved on anyway.

Another, and the far bigger and more important issue, is whether the return to effort ratio of writing an EDAP is the best use of the scarce time of the Transition Groups here – or whether involvement in other activities and strategic practical initiatives would yield a better return on time and resources committed.

Rob’s description of an EDAP doesn’t really sound to us like a plan at all – or only vaguely. It is a backcasted vision where the different elements of transformation of a place are put together in the same document and knitted together, as he says, as a story, as a narrative. So its function is one of collective (re-)orientation to a post oil future. It is a meta-narrative or a grand narrative.

When we came to think about this meta narrative though we wondered if in most places the vision of the future and steps to get there will really
differ very much from place to place. We have seen the Totnes Transition text and it seems to us that the Nottingham text would be unlikely to say anything much different. Sure there would be some Nottingham specific features, but most of the text would be a case for more community gardens, for more links with local farmers, for more community based ESCOs, for more cycle paths and public transport.

Not only would the Nottingham EDAP be pretty much the same as the Derby EDAP, the Leicester EDAP and the Totnes one – it would be about having more
of what we have already because we already do have community gardens, farmers markets, cycle paths, a tram system and energy projects.

Sure we don’t have nearly enough. Sure it is not the basis of the mainstream Nottingham lifestyle which, like everywhere else, is mainly “shop till you drop” – but, on a tiny scale, in small embryo, most of the things one would want to see in a future vision – in an EDAP – are there already – it is just that one wants to magnify and knit them together hundred fold.

So an EDAP would be telling the active people, the ones that are doing stuff, what they already know – all the people in those groups are already
working, step by step to make happen.

So what would be the point of doing this? We don’t think the Transition Group could actually project forward the process of what existing groups are already developing “into an EDAP” any better than the groups already doing it – the network of community gardens that is already working together and with the health services, the ESCO in the Meadows, the Nottingham Energy Partnership, the local campaign for better
transport and Pedals, the local cycle campaign and project which has been in existence influencing practical develoments for 30 years. All of these and other projects that have been in existence for years. They are doing absolutely sterling work and it would seem presumptive of us to project forward what they are doing.

That does not mean there is nothing for the local transition groups to do. In areas where there are no community gardens or ESCOs they can move to set
them up – that is happening in some districts (and then practically devours almost all of the energy of the individual groups.)

There is also a case for conurbation wide transition initiatives of a practical and a strategic character – like a Transition Market, which brings together many of the eco-social projects, helps them network and showcase
their work for the public, or like a conurbation wide “live local project”. There is a case for themed seasonal festivals which have been successful.

Compared to these very practical initiatives the research and writing of an EDAP doesn’t seem to offer much of a return on effort. We can think of other things which would be more useful – for example writing or producing a “tool kit” and laying on help and advice for groups who are setting up the different kind of projects on the what might describe as a “typical a la carte Transition menu” – ie community garden, community energy project, farmers market in their neighbourhood etc.

Instead of imagining the step by step process of setting up community gardens how about explaining briefly how to go about it, and provide links
to people who already have?

Finally, what conclusion do we come from? Well, if we need 60,000 to 300,000 people involved in some way before we write a Nottingham EDAP it isn’t going to happen any time soon. Also if, as it seems to us is the case, that working towards it is not the best use of our time and resources but other things would be – then is it any longer really part of our core model?

I think we have to acknowledge that it isn’t. So do we have to revise the basic idea of transition for cities – where most people live after all – and accept that “letting things go as they will” may mean letting them evolve outside of the model altogether….

Finally, meta narratives or grand narratives have a way of going off the rails when they do not actually describe what happens in real life. We are not doubting that we are just before the peak of global oil production – and are maybe even there. But the idea that the slide into a post peak world -and the responses to it – will provide the overarching narrative of the
future as the mass of the population understand it may, or may not, prove true.

At the moment the dynamic of the energy system is in the background. High energy prices are part of what makes it difficult for people and companies to service their debts. Sure. We have seen how that leads to crashes.

But its not the only thing going on. You can’t reduce the Greek crisis and the crisis of the euro and the knock on consequences of that to peak oil. In the foreground all the mass media attention is on the financial crises of states and the problems of the global banking and financial system. Sure we are aware that the oil peak is a major factor behind that…but our
privileged way of ordering events and their explanation is likely to get lost behind the sound and fury of government cuts and collapsing banks.

This has consequences of an important character – for example many community gardens are heavily subsidised from public sector funds of one kind or
another. If we want to keep these community gardens – or ESCOS – in existence they have to find a way of making a different kind of transition to a more market based revenue stream – that is likely to be the pre-occupying narrative for which solutions have to be found in the coming months and years – so a narrative that focuses on peak oil and an EDAP may be regarded as a bit beside the point….I think we should aware of that too…

On a different tack I think it is well worth looking at the writing of Sharon Astyk about what she calls “adapting in place”, which I interpret to be a personal EDAP ( http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/). After all we need to have family sized visions of a post-peak future as well as city sized visions (and everything in between)

However the whole of the region and its towns, villages, and communities need to make the transition to a post carbon world. All of the organisations that service the community will have to make the transition whether it is an organised transition or disorganised transition.

It makes sense to me that the transition plan includes the transition for governance, hospital services, security services, education services, transport, business, trade, social services, land use, food, etc etc. Each section of the plan would need to be drawn up by the leaders in each field.

However I do not think this is happening. I do not know of one community as a whole community, that is making the transition to the post carbon world.

I only observe small groups planning and making preparation in isolation from the community as a whole. In my experience government and political groups often think that the Transition movement is worthy, good and beautiful and like the Sally Army worthy of support but has nothing to do with the real business of development and consumption.

Nothing is going to happen until the crisis is upon us. Only then will there be a small window of opportunity for an organised transition. In the meantime I think it is best to prepare, organise and build resilence within your own sphere of influence. Thats what I am doing and it is working.

And by the way most of my colleagues have never heard of the transition movement, peak oil or James Hansen

To be effective in these circumstances means to be taken seriously. And being taken seriously requires being perceived as credible. That has to do with your vision and how Transitioners engage with people such as those you mention, however that is partly dependent upon how you frame the things you propose.

Judging from my experience in the permaculture movement, it’s here that community organisations fall short, lacking expertise and know-how. That can be remedied, but that won’t happen in powerup-for-powerdown training. It requires training led by people who have background in interacting with local government, planners and business.

Examples from this side of the world: Transition DASH – Darlinghurst and Surry Hills – is an example of people with the needed nouse and with a record of interaction with the City of Sydney. Likewise, people in the different states who are closely associated with the Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network (http://communitygarden.org.au) – it includes people also active in the Transition movement – have a record of constructive and mutually beneficial interaction with various local governments. The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance (www.sydneyfoodfairness.org.au) has developed positive relationships with state politicians as well as with local government and other social organisations.

This has happened because of the presence of people drawn from a broad cross section of society, some with the required skills for interacting with the political and planning milieu. Thus, advice and training in advocacy, negotiation and in understanding how ideas move from the creative fringe into the social mainstream are needed.

Here in Glasgow we have been grappling with similar issues…

there is a lot of existing activity on the ground and we are trying to connect this all up and take a look at this activity through the Transition window

we are trying to raise awareness of the transition model and also to get people actively involved in things they are passionate about in their local communities

in terms of whether we try and convince people to convert to our vision this is partly achieved through doing so people can not only hear about the vision but they can see people taking steps to achieve that vision ideally through collective community action

the other side to this is being able to react to the unexpected, such as the recession, the ash cloud, and other significant happenings that make a lot of people start to question the way we are currently living and when they ask about the alternatives that we can provide not only a positive vision but also an actual physical, viable alternative – people doing stuff

in terms of engagement Glasgow City Council has approved an offical motion to support communities wanting to explore transition appraoches (http://ttglasgow.ning.com/page/council_support-1) however the reality on the ground is how do we participate in a meaningful way

I have just had a phone call from a regeneration consultant who would like to get our input into a regenration development in a small part of the city – based on Rob’s observations this seems like a useful in and an opportunity for us – but there are so many other players in the city I am not sure how effective we will be but we will certainly do our best

Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it to the Conference but look forward to reading more comments and debate!

http://permaculture.org.au/2010/03/23/towards-local-democracy/

@all: sorry to harp on this point, but it seems like an important question.

It seems to me also that the role of creating a positive vision in EDAP is also very important. It is about changing the dream. Goodbye consumer fantasies and welcome forest gardens, bicycles and home food preserving