Designing our future

This volume focuses primarily on society at the local and regional level and on a scenario in which human beings coexist harmoniously with nature. This ideal society is examined in terms of the relationships between villages or towns and their natural environment and how these villages and towns can achieve local or regional independence in the face of pressures toward centralization and globalization. This requires both food and energy independence; hence farms, villages and towns must have access to natural renewable energy and material circulation systems. There also needs to be a system to facilitate collaboration among the various elements. To enable communities to retain their autonomy in the long term, public awareness of the importance of fostering local cultures and traditions is vital. Cultural independence demands that local ways of thinking be steered away from the "plunder nature" model toward "coexistence with nature". With economic globalization spearheading a trend toward standardization and uniformity in human values, this book highlights the importance of developing a society in harmony with nature through the networking of diverse communities to promote and achieve local independence.

Mitsuru Osaki is Director of the Sustainability Governance Project, Hokkaido University, Japan.

Ademola K. Braimoh is Executive Director of the Sapporo Nodal Office of the Global Land Project, Hokkaido University, Japan.

Ken'ichi Nakagami is a Professor at the College of Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University, Japan. --Book Jacket.