Reconstituting Governance
David Sasaki – Citizens feel disenfranchised from the political system because participation still favors the wealthy and powerful. However, there is another, equally important issue, which is the scale of governance. No one feels represented by an elected official who allegedly makes policy on behalf of 700,000 individuals. And no one can keep up with the vast scale of information that federal governments produce. Urban neighborhoods, though challenged by the highly mobile and diverse nature of their constituents, offer the opportunity to restructure governance to incentivize both more participation within neighborhoods and more coordination across them.
…we proposed: 1) A neighborhood-based system of urban governance that encourages participation and deliberation within communities of around 300 individuals. 2) A flexible system of “citizenship/residency” to ensure the lowest possible barriers to political participation. 3) A system of “metropolitan governance” with appointed city managers and community managers in charge of coordinating services and public works across neighborhoods. 4) A UN-like network to establish and coordinate global norms around issues such as carbon offset, sustainable transport, next generation electric grids, participatory budgeting, and more.
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