The Project for New Ruralism

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John B — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:57:42 +0000

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Back to our old blog

John B — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:05:14 +0000

I decided that I liked our old blog better. Economics 3.0 is a little too esoteric for me. I need something a little more concrete. While I still like the concepts developed by economic thinkers like Wilhelm Roepke, Peter Barnes and others, we have to apply these ideas to concrete scenarios to make them effective.

I am also thinking about creating a Wiki just for New Ruralism. This will help us manage projects as a team, coordinate schedules and create discussion boards. If I decide to launch the Wiki, it will be very exclusive and require membership. Only those serious about promoting New Ruralism will be allowed to join.

Finally, don’t forget to sign up for our email list. Things like our Wiki will only be available to subscribers. Please join our online group if you are interested in getting updates and becoming more involved.

Name Change to Capitalism 3.0

John B — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:07:37 +0000

I decided to change the name of our blog from The New Rural Economy to Capitalism 3.0: Developing a Humane Economy for the 21st Century. The reason for this change is that it occurred to me that New Ruralism is only one part of a vision for a more humane society.

We will still blog about New Ruralism and I hope that you will send me your articles, thoughts and suggestions. However, I would like us to think more about how we can work with other groups who share our ideals. One area that we can work on together is finance and economics.

Capitalism 3.0 was an idea developed by Peter Barnes. Peter’s idea is that we can protect the environment using free market solutions which respect both private property and property held in common. This approach reminded me of Wilhelm Roepke’s “third way”, which is why I subtitled the blog “Building a Humane Economy for the 21st Century”.

Wilhelm Roepke’s seminal book A Humane Economy: The Social Framework of the Free Market outlines the economic means for protecting community life. Of course, economics is not the only area of common interest we share with other like-minded people. We have issues of aesthetics, community life and many other topics.

The name change is not carved in stone. Please let me know if you approve of it and continue sending me suggestions about topics we need to discuss.

The New Rural Studio

John B — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:56:39 +0000

I came across an article in Architect Magazine called “The New Rural Studio“. I was a bit taken aback by their designs and social theory. The designs coming out of Hale County, Alabama are more urban than I would expect from a “new rural” studio. I won’t fault them for designing houses anyone can afford, I just wish that they didn’t look like anyone could afford them.

In many ways, the concept that this new rural studio isn’t new at all. This is just an extension of the old “workers’ houses” that Tom Wolfe described in From Bauhaus to Our House. However, instead of putting them in the city, they are now sticking them in the country. I appreciate that these groups want to alleviate the effects of poverty, but it seems that the better way to reduce the effects of poverty is to reduce poverty through innovative ways of expanding the rural economy.

I hope that you will work with me to create innovative solutions for expanding the rural economy. Please send include your ideas in our comments section or contact me directly.

Equestrian Retirement Communities

John B — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:32:41 +0000

You can find the print article here. Here is an example that there aren’t any age limits to equestrian sports. Do you think that we could combine an equestrian community with a retirement community for active seniors. Let me know what you think.

New Old House Magazine

John B — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:46:22 +0000

I would like to thank Kathie Friedley for introducing me to New Old House Magazine, published by Old House Journal. Russell Versaci’s column “Architect’s Principles” is published in this magazine. This magazine is an excellent resource for traditional architects, contractors and developers. New Old House Magazine has a particularly helpful “Products” section. This section includes hard to find products for every part of your home, including lighting and landscaping products. They also have an easy to use directory of advertisers. I hope that you find this magazine as helpful as I do. If there are other publications you would like to recommend, please add them to our comments box or email me directly.

Russell Versaci

John B — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:29:29 +0000

I am very pleased at the attention this blog is getting. On Sunday, we were discovered by Kathie Friedley, Russell’s life and business partner. If you haven’t visited our “About New Ruralism” page, please do. We picked the name for this blog based on an article Russell wrote for New Old House Magazine called “New Ruralism“. In it, he outlines some of the principles which inform the new rural movement. Coincidentally, they are also friends with Milton Grenfell the architect who sent me this article.

Kathie gave me a wonderful insight into Russell’s life, practice and vision. She sent me this short biography of Russell Versaci which you can find on their website www.russellversaci.com. She said that we should check out the section called New Old House, which contains information about his writings. “Under the link NOH Magazine, you’ll find files for all his Architect’s Principles columns from the magazine. These columns give a good idea of his design philosophies”.

Kathie also recommended we view the Simple Farmhouse link. They are in the first stages of offering these designs as pre-fabricated homes. They have three being built, all by individuals, but they hope that they are picked up by developers for use in communities. I am currently involved with at least one project where these homes would be appropriate and would be interested in having more information about these homes.

If anyone has experience working with Russell Versaci Architects, please post your thoughts in our comments section. Hopefully we can get someone from their firm to answer any of your comments and questions.

Rediscovering the Commons

John B — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:01:58 +0000

Yesterday, I came across a website that has some great information called On the Commons. This website provides practical ideas for living Wilhelm Roepke’s “Third Way” between the radical individualism promoted by Capitalism and the radical communitarian nature of Communism. On the Commons respects property ownership, but also addresses those aspects of community life which are held in common. One of my favorite thinkers in this movement is Peter Barnes.

Peter wrote a book called Capitalism 3.0 which is available free as an eBook. He is a businessman who recognizes the limitations of business in transforming society. One example he uses is eco-friendly businesses. While corporations have an impact on the environment and can mitigate that impact, ultimately corporations cannot provide the solution for two reasons. The first reason is that a corporations first objective is to generate profits and ecology can only be a secondary goal. The second reason is that these resources aren’t owned or controlled by corporations, they are held in common.

Although corporations are not (and should not) be expected to transform society in that way, Peter identifies ways society can protect the environment that are both based on free market economic principles and do not impede the ability of individuals to make a profit. His book is well worth a read. Can you think of ways we can include these principles in our own projects?

New Urbanism

John B — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:46:06 +0000

In many ways, the contemporary movement toward New Ruralism is an outgrowth of New Urbanism. If you are not familiar with New Urbanism, it “is the revival of our lost art of place-making, and promotes the creation and restoration of compact, walkable, mixed-use cities, towns and neighborhoods”. There are already a number of resources available for people in this movement that we might also find useful.

NewUrbanism.org, a central resource for information on New Urbanism: www.newurbanism.org
Congress for the New Urbanism, the leading organization promoting New Urbanism: www.cnu.org
New Urban News, the leading news source on New Urbanism: www.newurbannews.com
Leyland Alliance, developers of traditional neighborhood communities: www.leylandalliance.com
The Waterfront Center, published Intown Living and leader in waterfront developments: www.waterfrontcenter.org

This is just a partial list of websites I have found helpful. Feel free to add your own list in the comments section.

Financing the New Rural Economy

John B — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:24:46 +0000

Getting financing in this economy is difficult. How can we get financing for a new concept like New Ruralism? In the last ten years, rural places have been vacated as farm and manufacturing jobs have left the country. People are moving to urban centers to participate in the “creative economy”. While this is generally a positive move, is there anything we can do to sustain rural life in America?The Federal Reserve Board of Kansas City began researching these issues in its publication Proceedings – Rural Conferences. Deborah Markley wrote a particularly helpful article called “Financing the New Rural Economy“. This twelve page article analyzes current economic trends in rural communities and the financial options available for helping rural communities adapt to these economic trends.Please let me know if you find these resources provided by the Kansas City Federal Reserve helpful. I haven’t had a chance to read all of their articles yet. Let me know if you find any other reports helpful.