Learning Centre

Profound Play

Why play, not hard work, is the key to creating a better world

18 pages

This book attempts to debunk a common myth: creating a better world requires hard work. It argues that the most effective way to change our world is through play. Not just any kind of play – profound play.

As you are about to discover, the great tragedy in our culture is that we have lost sight of the enormous, creative, transformative power of play. We have trivialized it as something we outgrow as we transition from childhood into adulthood.

Seven reasons Local Government is f***ed

and 7 simple "nudges" to make them more functional

9 pages

Local Government has seven deeply ingrained fatal flaws that make it totally dysfunctional. But the answer is not a wholesale restructuring, or creating a new system. Any new system would soon develop the same flaws, because humans are involved. Instead I suggest seven "nudges", like putting kids hats in all the meeting rooms.

FIVE REASONS COMMUNITY CONSULTATION SHOULD BE BANNED

And what's the alternative?

9 pages

There are five myths underpinning the concept of Community Consultation. Each one is a fatal flaw. The words “community consultation” or even “community engagement” have come to embody the five myths so strongly, in my opinion, they are irredeemable.
In this paper I suggest a new term and a completely different approach. I explain the eight pillars of this new approach. I explain how we are using these eight pillars in transforming town centres in just seven days.

Are Placemakers the high-priests of a new religion?

5 pages

In this short article we explore the historical connection between urban planning and religion; the true nature of spirituality; how planning and placemaking so easily slip into a form of fundamentalism; and finding a legitimate role for planning and placemaking. (For a deeper analysis of the connection between urban planning and religion, see the ebook below.)

Place

29 Secrets to creating extraordinary public places

100 pages

David manages to pack twenty-five years of place making wisdom into these 100 pages. The book is full of inspirational stories, photos, and real world examples. Place is a down-to-earth and practical guide for: the beginner citizen place maker; change agents who want to be even more effective; and design professionals.

AGILE

A new approach to planning great public spaces

16 pages

There is a revolution happening in the way planning is done for public spaces. In four easy to read chapters, David explains:

- The problem with master planning
- The agile alternative
- Trials – how to prototype the future
- Why the community is addicted to master-planning and why it needs ‘re-schooling’.

WHY MOST PEOPLE CAN’T THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

17 Questions that will turn you into a genius

24 pages

If you have a problem to solve, or a space to design, or you simply want to learn how to think more creatively, then you must read this short, punchy booklet. It explains why most people’s thinking gets trapped inside the box. By the end of this down-to-earth guide, you will have 17 questions that will help you generate lateral solutions and innovative designs.

THE 4 WEEK MIND MAKEOVER

Making your life count

18 pages

Would you like to be a more effective change agent? In this simple workbook, David helps you identify four ‘habits of mind’ that may be stopping you from reaching your potential and gives you clues as to how you may shake these chains.

The connection between religion and planning

25 pages

Throughout at least the past 6000 years, the priest/astrologer and urban planner have been one and the same profession. This research paper traces that history right through to the birth of the modern town planning movement and even into the modern era of the systems approach. Placemaking and urban design are still deeply entwined with the religious urge.