One of the original “12 steps” set out in Rob Hopkins’ Transition Handbook for any Transition Town is to put together an “Energy Descent Action Plan” (EDAP), setting out a vision of how that town can become more resilient, less oil-dependent, and reduce its carbon footprint. Here in Transition Norwich a group has been meeting since summer 2009 to develop our EDAP – except that we decided we wanted to call ours a Resilience Plan.
The Resilience Plan is an important document for Transition Norwich. We hope that it will help members of Transition Norwich to think about the kinds of changes we might want to make in our own lives, and the kinds of projects we might want to develop across Transition Norwich to help to build a more resilient city. We also hope it will help policymakers, for example in the city and county councils, to think about what needs to be put in place now to protect the population from shocks in the future. For that reason the Resilience Plan will ideally include quantitative information, that is, not only will it show what is needed, but how much of it is needed.
The Resilience Plan Group has aimed to be a facilitating group, drawing on the specialist expertise of the Theme Groups, but drawing it together into a coherent vision. We have met a number of times during 2009, and our members are drawn from most of the Theme Groups.
We set ourselves the target of having a first draft by Christmas 2009 – a target which we have met in part! That is, we have a draft but there are still some gaps in it.
The Resilience Plan is an important document for Transition Norwich. We hope that it will help members of Transition Norwich to think about the kinds of changes we might want to make in our own lives, and the kinds of projects we might want to develop across Transition Norwich to help to build a more resilient city. We also hope it will help policymakers, for example in the city and county councils, to think about what needs to be put in place now to protect the population from shocks in the future. For that reason the Resilience Plan will ideally include quantitative information, that is, not only will it show what is needed, but how much of it is needed.
The Resilience Plan Group has aimed to be a facilitating group, drawing on the specialist expertise of the Theme Groups, but drawing it together into a coherent vision. We have met a number of times during 2009, and our members are drawn from most of the Theme Groups.
We set ourselves the target of having a first draft by Christmas 2009 – a target which we have met in part! That is, we have a draft but there are still some gaps in it.
In December 2009 the Group organised a successful “World Café” meeting where we invited other members of Transition Norwich to contribute their understanding of the gap between where we are now and where we want to be, what the obstacles are to achieving that vision, and how we can overcome those obstacles.
The Group intends to complete and publish a first version of the Resilience Plan in 2010. We expect that the Plan will never be finished, though – it needs to be a living document that will continue to evolve as circumstances change and understanding grows.
Contact: Jane Chittenden jane@janechittenden.co.uk
Click here to view / join the Resilience Plan email discussion group (Google Group)
Photo: World Cafe on Behaviour Change, organised by the Resilience Plan group, Dec 2009
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