Human Needs and Sustainable Cities: Understanding Systems

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Human Needs and Sustainable Cities
Understanding Systems

• Gwendolyn Hallsmith
• Global Community Initiatives

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What is a system?
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Behavior Over Time
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Feedback
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Stocks and Flows
Water flows in
Water flows out
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Stories, Diagrams, and Leverage

• Archetype Stories illustrate patterns of
  behavior
• Diagrams help describe the underlying system
  dynamics
• Leverage points demonstrate effective
  interventions

Describe
Understand
Change
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archetypical behaviors
? patterns of feedback and response ? clues to
leverage points ? cyclical/holistic cause and
effect
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feedback loops
A
B
B
A
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Linear Behavior Over Time
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Per Capita and Average Water Consumption Calgary
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reinforcing loops


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Exponential Behavior
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balancing loops
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Goal-Seeking Behavior
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Male Female Life Expectancyin Alberta
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Exponential/Goal-Seeking
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Glacial Water Supplies
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intelligence pays
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strategic democracy
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limits to growth
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fixes that fail
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worst first
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shifting the burden
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Exercise

• In small groups, discuss which of these patterns
  of behavior you have observed in your city.
• Identify one trend that your group can describe
  in terms of the system that might be working
  behind it.
• Based on the systems thinking, what might be some
  ways you could change the system for the better?