BOREALIS - THE LIVING UNIVERSITY OF THE NORTH

Stage I: Project EASEL

 III.  PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION  

DECISION MAKING CHAIN 1

List of Team Positions

The position of executive director requires an individual with business, administrative, and public relations experience. It is also essential that this person have an awareness of and dedication to the creation of a better urban environment.

The primary responsibility of this person shall be the co-ordination of the administrative body and execution of administrative matters for this project.

The following areas shall also be his responsibility:

- participation in the process of team formation and operation;

- liaison with governmental agencies whether for progress reports or information exchange;

- setting up audio-visual presentations or lectures of the program and ideas for public participation and interest;

- evaluation of any planning choices, progress arrived upon in terms of a financial situation and government feedback;

- participation in the group discussions of the planning sector;

- opening the project in its planning sector to dialogue with the general public and professionals on the dates specified by the coordinator;

- securing all necessary informational data exchange and consultation contacts that the research or planning groups may require.

No. 2 - Executive Director's Assistant

The executive director shall have an assistant to aid in those duties. The director's assistant shall be responsible for the direction and co-ordination of two public relations personnel, whose primary responsibilities shall be:

- setting up an advisory board of professionals;

- setting up a supporting committee of professionals artists, and citizens;

- obtaining the support and interest of industry concerning building techniques, new materials, etc.

No. 8 - Project Coordinator

This is a position which requires the greatest versatility of background and experience. The project coordinator may have a basic formation in architecture or urban planning, but must have an orientation and interest in all the creative expressions in space, whether they are arts or techniques. Primarily this will be a role of mediator and reconciling agent between the various specialists, between these and the average person, and more generally between the fields of the intuitive thinking (poetry) and rational thinking (science). It is his task to take the whole field of human knowledge and human activity into account and bring these problems to a common denominator of the different fields. This orientation must be given to the entire project.

- the coordinator will normalize the main directions of the planning process, help find alternatives for this process, and take part in deciding the final choices

- he will have the possibility of taking part in any group discussions or calling any group or sub-group together when necessary;

- he will bring into those groups any specialist or consultant that it may be thought convenient;

- he will maintain close contact with the executive director for all organizational matters and for the relations between the project and the outside;

- the coordinator and the executive director will decide on the formation and hiring of the professional body and give final evaluation to the decisions and progress made.

No. 9 - Urban Planner

The background required is a formation and experience in urban planning, giving knowledge of building arid zoning codes as well as regional and national planning. An interest and knowledge of other experimental towns and cities is necessary together with a desire to be experimental.

The main responsibilities shall be:

- research into historical and current urban plans and new towns;

- research and formulate new urban planning methodologies (including studies of gaming techniques and community dialogue)

- member of planning team chiefly responsible for drawing up specific planning programs in accordance with major strategies devised through the total planning group;

- establish contact with persons and groups involved in urban planning concepts and new cities;

- interact primarily with planning group A and research group C, giving special considerations to the city as an extended school.

No. 10 - Architect

This position requires someone of architectural formation and experience, yet whose role in this project will be one of explorer and designer of the spatial expressions and needs of man. Ultimately he will not be solely responsible for the design of those spaces, but will act as an advisor of how to play with those elements so that they will fit individual specifications.

His areas of responsibility shall be:

- research into various kinds of spatial shells (along with the structural engineer);

- research, gather, and design malleable modular systems that could form plural spaces to fit various needs;

- work out application of new structural Systems, materials, support grids, etc., as these are researched for use;

- work out the implications and applications of psychosocial-logical parameters of the urban environment as they are brought into planning by their respective fields;

- design the functions and organs of the urban space in the experimental module;

- work out the design of systems which give people the possibility to build their own spaces.

No. 11 - Urban Environmentalist

This person could have a formation in urban planning yet his primary interest and orientation is the urban environment as a HUMAN environment. Thus he must be aware of problems of urban planning yet have a wider background, including both the social sciences and natural sciences.

His main responsibilities shall be:

- research into spatial languages, perceptual identification, human space needs;

- research community, regional, and national planning and development policies (historical and current); interrelation of urban and rural areas and their essential elements; principles, of law utilization, etc.;

- member of planning team;

- coordinating position between two research groups (C & D);

- directing orientation and meetings of research groups C & D both separately and together;

- out of research and group interaction, come to a formulation of the city as an eco-system;

- give consideration and study to the city as a school facility, both within this area of study and in group discussions ;

- contact organizations, groups, and persons concerned with the urban environment (e.g., Ekistics).

No. 12 -- Structural Engineer

The structural engineer required for this type of project has to be by natural tendency an innovator and researcher in the field of structures and be able to adapt to the requirements of the planning choices, :inventing or adapting new ways of structural freedom. We require an engineer who, instead of equating new problems in terms of the old ones and thus reducing engineering to the computer, will formulate totally new equations to the old problems as well as the new ones.

His chief responsibilities are:

- understand fully the advantages and limitations of conventional structural systems;

- by-pass the shortcomings of these systems by another approach instead of a quantification of the same;

- use moderation's in the technical solution to any situation until a balance is found between the form and the contents to be expressed in space;

- consider the field of building materials from an open angle were there are no noble and. less noble materials but only those- most suited in economic, structural, and ecological terms;

- research in those materials and consider the rehabilitation of waste material as a building possibility;

- be familiar with mathematical analysis and the use of computers for problems simulation and testing.

No. 15 - Sociologist

This position requires a person having a basic formation in sociology with experience working in a variety of urban situations. The principle orientation and philosophy shall be to no longer attempt: to adopt people to society, but rather to form a society which adapts to people's needs.

The primary responsibilities of this person shall be:

- research into psycho-sociological elements of man in an urban environment;

- provide feedback of this research primarily to groups A and C as they require, but also to group D if needed;

- member of planning team which injects orientation of human response and needs;

- take part in discussions, study and considerations of the whole city as a school facility;

- provide feedback and inter-action from this field to all fields concerned with developing new structures, technologies, communication systems, etc.

No. 16 - Psychologist

The background required is experience and studies in psychology with special interest in the city as it related to this field. As with the sociologist, the primary concern is not to change or adapt man to our current city patterns but to discover an urban environment which grows out of man's needs.

The Psychologist's principle responsibilities shall be:

- member of planning team giving orientation of human response and needs;

- research into psychological parameters of man in an urban environment;

- synthesis of research into reformulation of the needs of man;

- interaction and feedback primarily with research group C and planning group A;

- take part in discussions; study and considerations of the entire city as a school facility.

No. 17 - Educreator

To the root word of education (ducere - to lead, draw, bring) we have added another (creatio - to grow, cause to grow). Education has been limited to leading our young along the lines we feel they should go. We would wish rather for it to be a bringing of ALL persons to the threshold of their own growing and creativity. Thus we seek a person whose philosophy is EDUCREATION.

This field requires an individual with formation and experience in education, giving her/him knowledge of historical developments and methods as well as present experiments and schools of thought, yet whose main orientation is openness to new forms and a desire to create a new kind of education system. His work is NOT to design more relevant courses or programs but to discover a way of giving optimum accessibility and flexibility to a system where persons of all ages would be- able to pursue those areas which interest them. This work will be done through discussion and interaction in research group C with the educreator giving form to ideas expressed and conclusions reached.

His chief responsibilities shall be:

- research working closely with other fields as necessary for feedback and information;

- formulate problems from this field for consideration and study from all other areas in group C;

- work out a new school facility which is the whole city;

- determine with planning team what facilities in the city shall be necessary and the arrangement of them.

No. 18 - Gestalt Ecologist

A formation in psychology and particularly gestalt theory is necessary for this position. Also necessary is a keen interest in and knowledge of the environment, both urban and natural. The primary importance of this position shall be in working as an intermediary between the fields of General Ecology and Urban Environment and studying the understanding and actuation on both of the social group.

The main responsibilities of the Gestalt Ecologist shall be:

- research into psycho-sociological parameters of the perception of the environment;

- formulation of an ecological wisdom" in terms of a psycho-socio-biological world view;

- interaction and feedback with any field, but particularly with those of research group C;

- approaching coherently the educational system in terms of dialogue methodologies based on gestalt actuation.

No. 19 - Anthropologist

A formation and experience in cultural anthropology with primary interest in studies of the human habitat throughout history is necessary for this position.

The principle responsibilities shall be:

- research co-unity space systems of primitive peoples, as well as complete inquiry into the human habitat,

- work more closely in the fields of soft technologies, cybernetics, and communications for a reciprocal formulation of problems concerning the human habitat;

- interaction and feedback of research with groups C and D, giving study and considerations to the city as a school facility.

No. 20 - Creatics Cybernetician

In this position might be necessary a person with working knowledge of the principles of systems (mainly in the socio-economic sector) and with the ability to operate, analyze, and program a computer for the formulation of certain interrelated sets of variables interesting the research course. Her/his basic formation may be in mathematics with a side specialization in computer analysis and applied electronics. Moreover the cybernetician will have to show some level of involvement in fields such as creatics and eiconics related to tho interdisciplinary study of imagination and human learning. In the working groups' organization the cybernetician may be called upon to:

- work as the group link to computer analysis while perceiving the limitations and illusions of certainty of such analysis;

- process information on the similitudes of human nervous system and the structure of modern computers;

- devise an information distribution and fast retrieval system for the use of the whole community (electronic library);

- inquiry into the learning process and self-generation of information in the human being and the optimum use of computers or learning devices;

- inquire more specifically into behavioral theories, human engineering, cybernetics and the use of human beings a

- assess together with the soft technologist the impact and justification of modern technological choices;

- work in closer contact with the Educreator and Gestalt Ecologist for the learning and imagination process, the Sociologist and Psychologist for the principles of systems and behaviorism.

No. 21 - Soft Technologist

The aim of alternative or soft technology is to make possible a life style which is compatible with long-term ecological stability. This is therefore the principle aim of the person involved in soft technologies.

The background of this person should probably lie in the natural sciences. Previous work experience or wide knowledge of what is being developed in this area is necessary. The primary qualities of the individual must be versatility, inventiveness, and a dedication to working out a balance with nature.

The main areas of work and responsibility for this area of study shall be:

- hold every proposed technology up to the main criterion of compatibility with long-term ecological stability;

- give full examination of local resources, conditions, also customs and usage where present;

- develop technologies compatible with locality;

- search for greatest efficiency with lowest energy expenditure and lowest capital investment;

- consider the entire city as a school facility;

- give particular attention to alternatives in these areas: multiple energy sources, recycling, farming, transportation systems, building materials and methods.

No. 22 - Energist

The aim of the specialist in this area must be, as with the soft technologist, a development and utilization of energy and resources which is compatible with long-term ecological sustainability.

The background required is a formation in a science field such as geology. This person should have previous experience giving her/him wide working knowledge of current energies and resources in Canada specifically, the World more generally. He/she also must be in tune with or even participating in research for alternative energy sources and resources management. Above all, she/he must be aware of and committed to the solution of our critical energy needs while seeking ecological harmony. This work would combine with the expert in soft technologies and be interdependent with studies of environmental management.

The principle work of the Energist should be:

- research alternative and multiple energy sources

- examination of local resources in a careful, ecological manner;

- work on development of new building materials and methods while being particularized to local conditions;

- research into recycling of energy, water, and wastes.

No. 23 - Ecodomist

For this position is required a person with a formation arid full understanding of Economic Science, of its evolution and present situation as well as an awareness to possible alternative systems. To our present economic system of production and distribution of "goods" centered on expansion, we counterpose the need for another - an Ecodomic system based on a balance of a set of interrelated vectors (natural web) of which man is only one element. Ecodomv also conveys the meaning of "rebuilding or restructuring the house" in contrast with the "managing the house" of economy which doesn't take into account the whole structure but only a set of operations.

For a more viable city system, achieving long-term symbiotic balance with the natural Systems, the ecodomist working more closely with the energist may have to:

- pass in review the most up-to-date economic theory and see when or where it is fit to apply it;

- define the three main areas of self-sufficiency, sustainability, exchange of services and goods and involvement in an existing economic system;

- devise the nature and levels of production from the projected group needs and establish a process of maintaining and distributing that production within the dynamics of the group changing patterns;

- formulating an alternative monetary system for the distribution of basic necessities and a way of coordinating the production and distribution of extras;

- establish the basic organization of time in terms of work force for the community, taking Into account the needs of basic or extra productions and the personal inclinations of individuals

No. 24 - General Ecologist

The formation required of a general ecologist is in the natural sciences with emphasis on studies in ecology. Experience of working in the field of ecology is also necessary. The primary interest and goal of the ecologist in this project is to create a balance between urban and natural environments.

The chief responsibilities of this field shall be:

- research into historical experience of the degree of balance or imbalance between city and country (across cultural boundaries)

- research and formulate the amount of green spaces and natural environment to be left in the city and how these shall be situated;

- provide feedback and research to groups A, C, or D as they require from this field;

- member of planning team concerned with urban impact on nature;

- knowledge of all major groups, legal measures, position papers having environmental impact;

- contacts necessary with such environmental groups or persons;

- coordinating position between two research groups, C and D, along. with urban environmentalists;

- directing orientation and meetings of research groups C and D both separately and together (along with Urban environmentalist)

- provide planning group with information and feedback from the two research groups;

- give considerations and study to the city as a school facility.

  To Top of Page  Back to Table of Contents - Links