Guillaume Grosso

Michael Shuman has just published a great list of 10 "practices of localism". Let me summarize the best parts: (1) Local Ownership – Through local ownership, we have the best opportunity of controlling our own destiny, of making decisions that are genuinely in the interests of our neighbors. There is vast evidence that communities with high levels of local ownership have higher levels of social stability, political engagement, and volunteerism. (2) Local Investment – The flip side of local ownership is local investment—you cannot have one without the other…. invest in local businesses, projects, and people. (3) Self-Reliance – Whatever the benefits of trade—and there are many—they must be weighed against the dangers of dependence. A community that i self-reliant… is more able to trade from a position of strength. It is also better able to meet the needs of its citizens and be resilient during periods of national, regional, or global crisis. (4) Placemaking – Every community has the potential for greatness by tapping the deep roots of place. In local music, art, storytelling, and traditions, there is the local cultural DNA… which attracts visitors and brings residents into public spaces. Every community should find its points of pride and incorporate them. (5) Participatory – Every community should strive to engage as many residents as possible in shapping public policy, the economy, society, and physical landscape. (6) Human Scale – Just as small scale is essential for communities to thrive, the businesses and institutions that support communities should be promoted. (Larger institutions have larger interests.) (7) Regeneration* – Communities must continuously regenerate socially, economically, and environmentally to sustain themselves over the long term. Running down social, human, financial, and environmental capital can only lead to a downward spiral over time. (8) Inclusiveness* – Successful communities serve everyone. This means ensuring economies and social activities reach the full spectrum of people living in a place. (9) Entrepreneurship – Achieving the goals above requires an entrepreneurial ecosystem that fully taps the community’s creativity for new businesses and projects. Entrepreneurs should be able to find within the community the capital, training, and support they need to succeed. (10) Connectivity* – Communities succeed when they are well connected internally and externally. This means strong bonds—cohesion—locally and strong ties externally to the best ideas and institutions necessary for them to thrive. * I adapted these to some extent #community #neighborhood #economy #finance #cities #mainstreet Cormac Russell Frances Kraft Sarah Strimmenos Lauren Hall Jennifer Prophete Gordon Strause Kara Revel Jarzynski Sam Pressler Tracy Hadden Loh PlacemakingX Kevin Ervin Kelley, AIA Lory Warren Noah Baskett Dr J.R. Baker Matt Abrams Daniel Selz Daron Babcock Anna Scott John B. Erin Barnes Tim Soerens Ethan Kent

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As the Financing for Development Conference wraps up, one message rings clear: if we want #sustainable #development, we must start with #rural transformation given that 80% poverty is concentrated in rural areas. At #FfD4, I highlighted four essential priorities: 🔹 Incentivise the #privatesector to scale #investment in #rural areas 🔹 Leverage public development banks, #remittances and #diaspora finance as powerful tools for change 🔹 Expand access to #concessional #finance so the poorest countries can invest in #foodsystems and #jobs 🔹 Make funding better, not just bigger, by focusing where it has the greatest impact: on small-scale #farmers in rural communities The path to #peace, #prosperity and #climate #resilience runs through rural communities. It’s time to invest accordingly.

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