In thinking about how to kickstart our journey towards implementing Doughnut Economics in Exeter we have looked at other city doughnut initiatives for inspiration. It’s important to remember though that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to applying the doughnut and local context and energy will determine the way forward. Some of the projects we looked at are:
Civic Square in Birmingham – the pioneering organisation looking at doughnut economics through a hyperlocal lens. They were the first to create a Neighbourhood Portrait of Place, rather than focusing on the whole city. This is because they see the neighbourhood as the essential unit of change – ‘small enough to be tangible, but big enough to implement policy which has impact’.
The motivation behind the Leeds Doughnut is to supercharge the city’s climate action program. They have produced a ‘quick and dirty’ data portrait of the city in order to start conversations with stakeholders and the wider public about topics such as community wealth building, circular economy and active travel.
Looking outside the UK, in April 2020 the Amsterdam City Doughnut was launched, with ambitious sustainability policies and targets. Amsterdam is already well known for its collaborative innovation – connecting neighbourhood initiatives, civil society and start ups with government, business and academia.
And a little further afield is Regen Melbourne, which was built out of the collective experience of horrendous bushfires and strict Covid lockdowns. It was this shared felt experience which created the impetus for radical change in the city.