The Main Street Journal, an online publication where I’m so honored to serve as editor, recently published an issue highlighting Localism. This issue quickly climbed the charts, becoming our most popular post since our start in 2021.
Here’s a summary of that issue and an invitation to learn more.
Michael Shuman, economist, author, and publisher of The Main Street Journal, shared four main principles of Localism: action, power, partnership, and respect. As you read this summary, please note any local people, places, and policies that come to mind—already supporting or carrying out this work.
“Localism means that if we discover a problem in our backyard, we address it immediately and locally,” shared Michael. “The goal is not to go it alone, but to favor mindful action over inattention. Act, experiment, learn, try again. The operable phrase is not NIMBY (not in my backyard!), but BIMBY (begin in my backyard!).”
“Localists insist that power be held primarily at the local level, with states holding less power, countries less still, and global institutions the least amount,” continued Michael. “By power, we mean the power collectively to tax, regulate, and administer projects.”
“Localism does not necessarily mean going it alone,” adds Michael. “It can also mean finding partners to serve local needs. Sometimes that’s higher levels of government—the region or the state—but increasingly, it’s other communities around the world struggling with similar challenges. Responsible localists look everywhere for solutions and insights.”
Michael stated, “Localists appreciate that every community is different, with different values, ideas, and traditions. When appropriately empowered, every community will make different choices.”
With these four principles in mind, what does Localism look like in the Monadnock Region? It’s much of what The Local Crowd Monadnock promotes year-round. It’s individuals, businesses, and municipalities spending and investing more of their dollars at locally owned and independent businesses instead of chain stores, online giants, or Wall Street corporations. It’s about supporting emerging entrepreneurs, seasoned business owners, and workers to ensure that all succeed. It looks like a community providing for everyone’s basic needs, even in times of crisis. It’s about celebrating and taking pride in where we live. It means taking care of the land, water, and other inhabitants in regenerative ways.
“Around the world are exciting examples of Localism’s success,” shared Michael. “Communities increasingly able to feed themselves through greenhouses, vertical growing, and food sovereignty programs; urban organizations solving homelessness through tiny houses and community land trusts; cooperatives, nonprofits, and B Corps removing the walls between managers and workers; neighborhoods using cutting-edge technologies to be self-reliant in energy and water.”
One local example of Localism that comes to mind is the Southwest Region Planning Commission’s (SWRPC) ADU Design Challenge. With an aging population, smaller family size, and high home prices, we need to pursue creative solutions to overcome our region's housing shortage.
Photo by Aysegul Yahsi on Unsplash
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), a home built on the lot of an existing home, offers one solution where a homeowner becomes a home creator. An ADU can look like an apartment over a garage, a tiny house in your backyard, or any small dwelling on the same land as your single-family house.
The Monadnock Region ADU Design Challenge brought together homeowners, architects, and other professionals to design ADUs and compete for a $5,000 cash prize. SWRPC received over 75 homeowner applications from our region, and 11 were selected to participate. The homeowners’ stories inspired 25 design submissions from students and professionals throughout the country. You can learn more about the challenge, participating homeowners, and the submitted designs at swrpc.org/adu.
Read more about Localism and subscribe to future posts at mainstreetjournal.substack.com. Also, let us know what you think by emailing me at jenrisley@amiba.net.
Act, experiment, learn, try again!
The Local Crowd Monadnock - Keene, NH
