I’ve changed the name of the topic and moved it to Initiatives because I think we can use this as a space for storing little bits of marketing babble as they come to us.
I think about language and messaging a lot in my free time (autism) so I’m just gonna start sketching.
Keyword Babble
Unsprawling is NOT a destructive act! We can’t go back in time to remove the neighbourhoods we’ve already built. We can only improve them, connect them, and make them more sustainable.
The same is true with our platforms. On private chatrooms every new ‘organization’ is extra infrastructure that needs to be maintained. It’s another unsustainable low-density development.
In these messy, mingly environments, every new idea is automatically connected into the network. Each new perspective serves only to strengthen and expand it.
I think y’all had said something like “we need rowhouse brains” or whatever LOL — but it’s true! What we’re doing here is applying the tenets of good urbanism to virtual community-building.
We’re creating a platform that builds incrementally, that affords people the freedom to make adaptations. Creating places where a majority of the difficult work has been done for you already so you can focus on what you really love to do. Places where you can bump into a variety of different strokes and become more well-rounded.
I think this is an idea seed we have to package into our messaging. The ways we organize our virtual communities right now are simply unsustainable. It makes us private, separated, territorial.
I wanna keep going with this “Connect, Collaborate, Communicate” messaging.
Words I like to describe our vision for Calgary: Inclusive, Sustainable, Safe, and Productive.
Passionate Calgarians should be more informed, engaged, and activated.
Urban form & urban fabric are go-tos — Alex had always said “Calgary’s built form and the ways we move around it” which I really like.
Embrace a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, toward activism that is more engaging, effective, and well-rounded.
Just jotted up yet another Mission Statement as if we don’t have like 5 of those already.
Unsprawling is a collective of advocates, artists, and community-builders who are changing the way Calgarians engage with urban activism. We are dedicated to creating platforms where those passionate about improving our city have more opportunities to connect, collaborate, and communicate.
I loooove coming back to the word “generous” again and again. To describe this urge to create things that are beneficial for other people. Sharing your knowledge and really working hard to communicate it as best as you can is the most generous act humans are capable of.
