We’ve all had the “If I won the lottery” fantasy. Most hypothetical indulgences include world travel, buying property, paying off loans, or the somewhat-boring savings option. All of these, however, center around an individual award- an inordinate lump sum of dough awarded to one lucky person. But the United Kingdom’s People’s Postcode Lottery is changing some citizens’ idea of what wealth means to not just themselves, but their communities, and communities around the globe. On the surface, it’s like any other lottery- you buy a ticket, and cross your fingers. But every week the Postcode drawing awards £25,000 to not one person, but the entire street from which the winning ticket is selected. The rest of the tickets purchased within the greater neighborhood (the Sector Prize) are also awarded cash prizes. On top of that, 20% of all ticket sales go towards Nature and Wildlife Conservation, Children’s Wellbeing and Poverty Relief. It’s a simple idea, and the money is only the beginning. Residents have a better chance of winning on behalf of their street or sector if more people play, so residents engage with their neighbors, creating community and a common goal. Then once prizes are awarded to the street or sector, residents are more inclined to (and typically do, based on past winnings) rally together to pool their wealth for the good of the community. While money should not always be our go-to tool for community development, here’s an example that turns wealth into a resource to be shared, earned, and spent together to prioritize the whole over the sum of its parts.

by Emily Pilloton

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By Eric Corey Freed

The future of the profession of Architecture is in Rapid Prototyping and Contour Crafting. Imagine, robots building our buildings in a matter of days, not months. Read the full story

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The Pharos Project is a graphical green labelling system. In the same spirit as the FDA’s nutrition labels, Pharos would go on all building materials. Consumers can look at the label and get a visual indicator of the environmental impact. Read the full story

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While the thought of a micro-economy based on the exchange of zero currency might sound absurd, Freecycle has built an entire community around the exchange of free goods. Need a bike seat? Mattress? Cell phone? It’s likely available on Freecycle, which, similar to Craigslist, is built around an online network for metropolitan areas. Read the full story

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What could we export beyond just coal?

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Winner’s Circle Interview with Diana Jess from Re:Store

1.   What sparked your interest in participating in a Re:Vision competition? Read the full story

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Winner’s Circle Interview for Re:Store with Egbert Chu & Zachary Colbert

At the center of this new urban community dynamic is the urban farm. Our proposal emphasizes the importance of sustainable local food production as a response to both:

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Stacey Frost Interviews Christine Arena, Author of High-Purpose Company

1. What are your thoughts about sustainability today? How would you define it?

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An Interview with Paul Nikhil

1. What sparked your interest in participating in a Re:Vision competition?

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