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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Paul Hawken’s Commencement Address

“This planet came with a set of instructions,
but we seem to have misplaced them.” Read the full story

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I recently had the pleasure of serving as a juror for the RE:burbia Competition (sponsored by Inhabitat and Dwell).  Competitions provide an opportunity to explore ideas, needs and questions that often do not arise in the developer driven world of design.  They serve a genuine need in the world of design, and have historically been responsible for moving the art of design forward. Read the full story

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Stacey Frost interviews Re:Connect Winner: Scott McKinzie

1.   What sparked your interest in participating in a Re:Vision competition?
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Electricity was in the air on Sunday, August 19th as Urban Re:Vision took to the streets to bring a jolt of sustainability to San Francisco’s Bayview District with our many volunteers distributing approximately 700 energy-efficient CFL bulbs free of charge to neighborhood residents. With a very generous donation of the CFL bulbs by the forward-thinking folks at Cole Hardware (www.colehardware.com – the BEST hardware store in San Francisco) the event not only helped highlight the benefits of energy conservation but will provide the residents a collective savings of approximately $13,000 in electric bills over the course of one year. A win-win situation for everyone!

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The Calitzdorp project is the work of the Great Western Cape Bicycle Ride and ITDP (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy) and is a way for farm workers in South Africa to own bikes.

Bikes being the only asset they have. “Workers in Calitzdorp, who once had no opportunity for advancement under apartheid, are discovering a newfound sense of self-worth and independence.” Contributed by Bradley Schroeder, ITDP (bschroeder@itdp.org)

If owning a means of transportation can transform someone’s quality of life in so many ways, how can we start to incorporate accessibility to these means in villages, towns and cities everywhere?

This and many other projects being created by these two companies are challenging communities to ReRoute. I find their work inspiring and ReVisionary and therefore I am sharing them with you.

This and many other projects being created by these two companies are challenging communities to ReRoute.

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