Necessity, the mother of invention

By Andy Marks

Slums, shanty towns, favelas, it is estimated that 1 billion of us now reside in these products of extreme urbanisation.

Lagos, a mega city of 16million, has three quarters of it’s residents living in slums. The city is growing at such an extraordinary pace, that by 2015, it is predicted to be the world’s third most populous city, behind only Mumbai and Tokyo.

This astonishing city is home to an astonishing place, the Olusosun rubbish dump, which is home to an astonishing community. For in the Olusosun rubbish dump, 1,000 people live, there are three cinemas, restaurants, a barber shop and a mosque.

Here, the local economy is based on the daily delivery of 3,000 tons of rubbish which is expertly filtered by hand. Here, rubber, plastics, copper aluminium, brass, zinc and more is found, sorted and sold. Here nothing is wasted and everything is a commodity. This vision of resourcefulness and extreme recycling prompted visionary architect Rem Koolhaas to say “What is now fascinating is how, with some level of self-organisation, there is a strange combination of extreme underdevelopment and development.”

What is most striking though is that beyond the human ingenuity, there is a closeness, interdependence and trust between the rubbish dump dwellers. Crime rates are low, people don’t lock away their valuables (partly as the means to do so probably don’t exist), it is self-policing with honour and dignity evident, and there is hope that people are working for a better future. Laudable, humbling, an impressive entrepreneurial spirit all at the same time.

The Olusosun rubbish dump, was documented recently by the BBC2 series Welcome To Lagos, which follows the lives of two people who live and work on the dump. One of them, Eric aka Vocal Slender, was saving money to realise his dream for studio sessions and photographs, to become a recording artist.

Is the Olusosun rubbish dump a vision of the future, when 75% of us will live in cities (by 2050), up from just over 50% today? A future where resourcefulness and ingenuity are the currency, everything must be recycled, and economies are locally based? If so human ingenuity will prevail as it has done before. 

The picture accompanying this post is by the French photo artist JR, from the Women are Heroes series, and features the slum of Kibera in Nairobi.

why vivacity

This is the century of the city.

Over half the world’s population now live in cities. This is projected to rise to three-quarters of all people in 2050. With population increases, this means 6.75 billion of us will be city dwellers, an increase of 3.75 billion from today. As the future success or failure of mankind lies in cities, new ways of using them are needed.

The city represents an incredible paradox. We have never been closer together physically, but we have never been further away from each other emotionally. At vivacity we celebrate city movements around the world that change and re-define the way we interact with and use cities. Whilst cities cannot cope with the numbers now and the resultant strain on the world’s natural resources and eco-systems are already painfully evident, we believe that human spirit and endeavor will overcome, as it has done before.

vivacity promotes city movements that are connecting people & creating new types of communities. They are typically low impact, highly sociable, enabled by technology, using public and private spaces in new ways and empowering people to act locally.

vivacity promotes new ways of feeling alive, new ways of being invigorated, and new things to be a part of. We call it grassroots stuff in the city. We hope you get involved and share your experiences with us.

who we are

Andy Marks vivacity founder and editor

Social entrepreneur, lecturer, writer and curator, Andy Marks is an agent of positive social change practicing at the intersection or fault-line of business, society and culture. Andy is the founder of research and consultancy network Salad Worldwide, an advisor to some of the world’s leading companies on Corporate Responsibility and an advisor to a number of non-profit organizations. Andy is an expert on grass roots city movements, and a founding partner of an upcycling enterprise launching in 2010.

Julian Broadhead contributor

With a background in advertising, branding and corporate responsibility, Julian works with blue-chip companies from a wide range of industries and sectors, advising on strategy and new ways of connecting with people. He is currently developing a number of new opportunities in the environmental sector, with a particular emphasis on making environmental action more accessible.

Shane Solanki – contributor/distributor/carburettor/carbon-ara

Artist, writer, performer, producer and director, Shane’s first short film was commissioned by the BBC and directed by Peter Cattaneo. His first record was produced by Mercury Prize Winner Talvin Singh. He worked for years to forge the unique identity of independent record label Ninja Tune. We at Vivacity like to think of him as a grass roots detective, covertly operating under the pseudonym of the Last Mango in Paris; imagine him skulking around the world in a beige macintosh, recording and documenting our shift into a society where social responsibility and public creativity are norms.

contribute

become a vivacity scout

As more and more of us live in urban areas, individuals and communities can feel overwhelmed and isolated by the sheer intense-city of it all.

However we at vivacity believe that human spirit and endeavor will overcome as it has done so many times before. That is why we are celebrating movements around the world that are changing and re-defining the way we interact with the city. We would like to hear from you about grassroots movements or activities that bring people together face to face and use cities in new ways. The more original and imaginative the better.

Please email us describing a movement you would like to see on vivacity using a maximum of 300 words. info@vivacity.me