Theory

Theory is the most general level of the patterns in the language. In a broad way, the patterns in this section express the assumptions that we are making about the world and, most importantly, how we intend to engage in the world.

1 Civic Intelligence

Douglas Schuler

2 The Commons

David Bollier

3 The Good Life

Gary Chapman

Organizing Principles

Organizing principles are less general than theory but are still quite abstract. They can motivate and inform any enterprise, yet they themselves are not corporeal, they are ideas that we can employ to orient our work in a meaningful way.

As we move forward, we realize that certain guidelines can be used to as help ensure that our work is purposeful.

4 Social Dominance Attenuation

Douglas Schuler

5 Health as a Universal Right

Douglas Schuler

6 Global Citizenship

Douglas Schuler and Lori Blewett

7 Political Settings

Jonathan Barker

8 Social Responsibility

Stewart Dutfield, Burl Humana and Kenneth Gillgren

9 Matrifocal Orientation

Lori Blewett

Valerie Brown

11 Memory and Responsibility

Douglas Schuler

12 Working Class Consciousness

Steve Zeltzer

13 Back to the Roots

Douglas Schuler

14 Demystification and Reenchantment

Kenneth Gillgren

15 Translation

Douglas Schuler

16 Linguistic Diversity

Douglas Schuler

17 Education and Values

John Thomas

18 Dematerialization

Burl Humana

Society needs to change in many ways. Some routes towards that end are listed below.

19 Transforming Institutions

Brian Beaton

20 Teaching to Transgress

John Thomas

21 Fair Trade

Burl Humana and Anna Nakano

22 Sustainable Design

Rob Knapp

Lori Blewett

24 Spiritually Grounded Activism

Helena Meyer-Knapp

25 Cyberpower

Kate Williams and Abdul Alkalimat

If we are to have possible chance at success, information of various types will be needed and it must be available to the widest audience.

Jenny Frankel-Reed

Jenny Epstein

28 Whole Cost

Douglas Schuler

29 Indicators

Douglas Schuler

In order to come together and to make the changes that are necessary we will need venues in which this can happen.

30 Public Agenda

Douglas Schuler

31 Democratic Political Settings

Jonathan Barker

32 Big Tent for Social Change

Mary Reister and Shari McCarthy

And people must have access to information, discussion venues, and, in general, opportunities for bettering themselves and the whole of society.

33 Opportunity Spaces

Douglas Schuler

People must be prepared to engage in these struggle and there are a great number of skills and capacities that individuals and organizations should improve.

34 Strategic Capacity

Douglas Schuler

35 Media Literacy

Mark Lipton

36 Participatory Design

Douglas Schuler

37 Citizen Science

Stewart Dutfield

38 Mobile Intelligence

Douglas Schuler

Douglas Schuler

Enabling Systems

Enabling systems are concrete expressions of our objectives, often integrating institutions and technological systems. They are enabling because they actively encourage the multiplication of ideas and actions upon which people can help create a better society.

Now that the world is so tightly connected the need to develop better support for global systems is becoming more critical.

40 World Citizen Parliament

Douglas Schuler

41 Economic Conversion

Lloyd Dumas

42 Strengthening International Law

Richard Falk

43 International Networks of Alternative Media

Dorothy Kidd

We must build intelligence from the ground up

44 Design Stance

Rob Knapp

45 Open Action and Research Network

Douglas Schuler

46 Alternative Progress Indices

Burl Humana and Richard Reiss

47 Meaningful Maps

Andy Dearden and Scot Fletcher

48 Citizen Access to Simulations

Alan Borning

49 Culturally Situated Design Tools

Ron Eglash

50 Conversational Support Across Boundaries

John Thomas

51 Truth and Reconciliation Commissions

Helena Meyer-Knapp

52 Online Deliberation

Matt Powell and Douglas Schuler

Some of our communities are under stress and they need different kinds of support.

53 Alternative Media in Hostile Environments

Douglas Schuler

54 Mutual Help Medical Websites

Andy Dearden and Patricia Radin

55 Indigenous Media

Douglas Schuler and Miguel Angel Pérez Alvarez

56 Peace Education

Helena Meyer-Knapp

And of course globalization does not obviate the need to support the local community as well.

57 Intermediate Technologies

Justin Smith

58 Durable Assets

Justin Smith

59 Public Library

Stewart Dutfield and Douglas Schuler

60 Digital Emancipation

Gilson Schwartz

61 Community Networks

Peter Day

62 Online Community Service Engine

Fiorella De Cindio and Leonardo Sonnante

63 Community Currencies

Burl Humana and Gilson Schwartz

Policy

Although largely invisible, policy nevertheless is a major force upon our lives. As a set of public rules, guidelines and programs, policy creates and demolishes barriers. Policy represents an arena of public affairs which, ironically enough, is often closed to the public.

Some basic principles are needed to underpin public policy and make it open and accountable.

64 Transparency

John B. Adams and Douglas Schuler

65 Privacy

Douglas Schuler

66 Media Diversity

Douglas Schuler

67 Ethics of Community Informatics Research and Practice

Randy Stoecker

Some policy is best advanced through systems.

68 Free and Fair Elections

Douglas Schuler and Erik Nilsson

69 Equal Access to Justice

Donald J Horowitz

David Newman

71 Participatory Budgeting

Andrew Gordon and Chris Halaska

Global economic systems mean that vast amounts of money is being transferred every day. How can this phenomenon better serve the public good?

72 Transaction Tax

Burl Humana

73 Powerful Remittances

Scott Robinson

Society runs on information and access to certain types of information is essential.

74 Positive Health Information

Jenny Epstein

75 Accessibility of Online Information

Robert Luke

76 Open Access Scholarly Publishing

John Thomas

77 Mobile ICT Learning Facilities

Grant Hearn

And the community itself should lead in other initiatives.

78 Grassroots Public Policy Development

Douglas Schuler and Michael Maranda

Helena Meyer-Knapp and Stewart Dutfield

Aake Walldius and Yngve Sundblad

81 Academic Technology Investments

Sarah Stein

Collaboration

How effective people are in their pursuits depends on how well they can work together. This realization motivates the patterns in this section and in the next. People and groups -- both informal and formal -- must actively engage with the world "outside" to achieve their goals. This, of course, can assume many forms from the purely cooperative to the openly combative.

Collaboration can often be better served when new ways of looking are employed.

82 Wholesome Design for Wicked Problems

Rob Knapp

83 Voices of the Unheard

John Thomas

84 Design for Unintended Use

Erik Stolterman

In order to continually improve the effectiveness of our collaborations it's essential to build intelligence capabilities

85 Civic Capabilties

Justin Smith

86 Strategic Frame

Douglas Schuler

87 Value Sensitive Design

Batya Friedman

88 Future Design

Douglas Schuler

89 Experimental School

Douglas Schuler, Steve Schapp and Thad Curtz

Norman Clark

91 Citizen Journalism

Lewis A. Friedland and Hernando Rojas

92 Document Centered Discussion

Todd Davies, Benjamin Newman, Brendan O'Connor, Aaron Tam and Leo Perry

We'll also need to develop and strengthen institutions and programs that promote collaborations.

93 Citizen Diplomacy

Douglas Schuler

94 Mirror Institutions

Douglas Schuler

95 Patient Access to Medical Records

Amir Hannan

96 Citizenship Schools

Lewis A. Friedland and Carmen J. Sirianni

97 Community Building Journalism

Peter Miller

Community and Organizational Building

A group is effective insofar as it integrates the insights, knowledge, skills, interests and resources of its members. Beyond this, a group must reflect on its own state, including its aims, methods of interpreting, decision-making, and planning and adjust its behavior accordingly. An effective group, moreover, must understand and adapt as well as shape the "environment" in which it finds itself.

Organizations must take part in collective learning.

98 Informal Learning Groups

Justin Smith

99 Appreciative Collaboration

Stewart Dutfield

100 Sustainability Appraisal

Nick Plant

101 Shared Vision

Stewart Dutfield and Douglas Schuler

And we need to think about organizations that can motivate and orient our work.

102 Community Animators

Justin Smith

Penny Goldsmith

104 Sense of Struggle

Douglas Schuler

Self Representation

The world contains a vast diversity of viewpoints and voices. These patterns in this section celebrate and strengthen that diversity while seeking ways to reduce conflict and encourage dialogue and understanding.

Thinking about ourselves in a new light will mean redefining the agenda.

Justin Smith

Justin Smith

107 Engaged Tourism

Christine Ciancetta

108 Appropriating Technology

Ron Eglash

And although much of the work is outwardly directed much of it needs to be home grown as well.

109 Control of Self Representation

Douglas Schuler

110 Homemade Media

Douglas Schuler

111 Arts of Resistance

Douglas Schuler

112 Labor Visions

Nancy Brigham

113 Universal Voice Mail

Jenn Brandon

Stories belong to communities and our shared human experience. It's time to take them back and rediscover — and reinvent — stories

114 The Power of Story

Rebecca Chamberlain

115 Public Domain Characters

John Thomas and Douglas Schuler

116 Everyday Heroism

Douglas Schuler

Projects

These patterns represent tangible projects that any community can initiate. Though these are generic in some way, the local situation will vary in every case and these projects will assume a "family resemblance" rather than a uniform one.

Building a new world requires new spaces and places to encourage innovation and collaboration. Here are two — and there may be others.

117 Telecenters

Michel J. Menou, Peter Day and Douglas Schuler

118 Thinking Communities

Aldo de Moor

119 Great Good Place

Douglas Schuler

Communities are often faced with chores that they haven't anticipated or adequately dealt with. The patterns below are intended to help them roll up their sleeves and get to work.

120 Soap Operas with Civic Messages

Douglas Schuler

121 Emergency Communication Systems

Douglas Schuler

122 Community Inquiry

Ann Bishop and Bertram (Chip) Bruce

123 Illegitimate Theater

Mark Harrison and Douglas Schuler

124 Environmental Impact Remediation

Douglas Schuler and Jim Gerner

Some of this work will involve technology development;

125 Open Source Search Technology

Douglas Schuler

126 Socially Responsible Video Games

Douglas Schuler

127 Open Source Everything

John Thomas

Some will involve engaging the powerful;

128 Power Research

Douglas Schuler

Douglas Schuler

Tactics

These patterns describe activities that can be particularly effective even if only applied sporadically. They are limited in space and time, yet they can focus attention, unite disparate efforts, and help create conditions for future collaborations. These patterns appear last but are not insignificant. Indeed one of our most important tasks is discovering more of these tasks.

Many of these tactics involve probing and engaging.

130 Whistle Blowing

Tom Carpenter and Douglas Schuler

131 Tactical Media

Alessandra Renzi

132 Media Intervention

Douglas Schuler

133 Peaceful Public Demonstrations

Douglas Schuler

Many involve learning with a mission.

134 Activist Road Trip

Douglas Schuler

135 Follow The Money

Burl Humana

Finally, although these patterns are intended to help people engage with the world with dedication, strength, creativity and love, it's not really possibly — nor desirable — to engage all the time. Don't forget that for your actions and thoughts to be effective, you must periodically…

136 Retreat and Reflection