Connected to Place looks at place-based systems change as a real-world solution to our growing environmental and social crises. Distilling lessons from a thirty-year career in the social sector, Matt Biggar offers a practical guide to creating conditions for societal transformation. He presents a vision that reorients people's daily lives around their neighbourhoods and communities, and he shows us how we can get there.
When thinking about place-based systems change, many questions arise. What systems do we change? How do we change them? What outcomes are we seeking? In Connected to Place, Biggar answers these questions for advocates, planners, policymakers, educators, and others interested in systems change. Readers will learn about the ideas, tools, and pathways imperative to creating lasting, regenerative change. By reframing our approach to social progress, Connected to Place outlines the way toward rebuilding connection with nature and local community and revitalising local and regional economies.
Introduction
1. Changing How We Live
2. Place-Based Systems, Well-Being and Regeneration
3. The Path to Place-Based Systems Change
4. Housing
5. Local Business and Work
6. Transportation
7. Community Spaces
8. Nature Spaces
9. Food
10. Building Energy
11. Consumer Goods
12. Strategic Collaboration
13. Systems-Oriented Government
14. Place-Based Education
15. Personal Change
Matt Biggar is Founder and Principal of Connected to Place. He has worked as a strategy consultant, researcher, writer, speaker, teacher, and educational leader. He focuses on systems change and strategic collaboration within local and regional contexts.