Knoxville Ecovillage Project

The Vision

Imagine a neighborhood where people live in a natural environment. No rushed noisy cars, no trash and litter, no paved concrete soil and no iron fences...., but just trees, birds, benches and bike paths. A neighborhood where kids can run around and play and where people can meet and talk on the streets. Where growing your own food in community gardens is supported and where a craft center provides the tools and skills necessary to build your own carpentry. Imagine it having a Community Center where guests can sleep and meals are prepared once a week together. A center where art galleries display their work and activities are held for children. Imagine a neighborhood which houses organizations that believe in cultural diversity and quality of life. Where people live in well insolated and naturally designed, private dwellings. Provided with energy by the solar panel and biomass systems in the backland, and in biking distance of Knoxville's Old City.

For some this is a dream. For others it is unknown. The fact is that an urban neighborhood like this not impossible. It is really not such an unreachable utopia as many may think. It is a matter of educating ourselves about the idea and spreading the vision through networks of traditional established ways of practice. It is a matter of combining forces with motivated people who still care enough about their planet and the future of their children to fight for a healthy environment, multi-cultural values, purity of life, social equality and moral justice. It is a model. An example of where we could go. A model that might be a solution to a social and environmental global crisis. A solution to a bioregional as well as urban crisis. A crisis driven by old fashioned value systems of consumerism and individual greed, where an old school of experts and greedy politicians dominate over an ecologically sounder value: health.

Knoxville Ecovillage Project

The Knoxville Ecovillage Project researches the feasibility of this model. An initiative that could ultimately serve as a large scale live model for sustainable community design and living. Although in its organizational infancy, the goal of the project is challenging and fascinating: to design and create an ecological living environment, within the Knoxville inner city area, that can serve as an educational center for residents, Knoxvillians and visitors. At this time, few examples of such urban neighborhoods exist in the United States, which makes the necessity of researching such a model of even greater significance. Looking for a new path, the Knoxville Ecovillage Project follows neither a capitalist nor a communist model. Since it strives for sustainable development, it is engaged in a long term process and does not necessarily have a fixed idealised goal to head for (despite the introduction!). The picture of where this process leads to is not cut in stone.

Knoxville needs ecological consciousness. While the neighboring city of Chattanooga is slowly developing in an (inter)national acredited example of sustainable urban planning, Knoxville is nonchalantly spending tax dollars on more fastfood joints, supermalls and expensive waterfront developments. With an obvious disrespect for unique urban wetland systems and a neglectance of its African-American and inner city communities it spends more and more tax dollars on roads leading to increasingly distant upper-class subdivisions. An urban ecological neighborhood could give Knoxville back some spirit, some reality. And it would help educate ourselves and our children about our future.

The initiative

Knoxville Ecovillage Project (KEVP) evolved from discussions held by the Intentional Communities Forum in Knoxville. Gene Monaco and Richard Austin, enthused by the Intentional Communities Forum, approached the Foundation for Global Sustainability's (FGS) Sustainable Living program with the Knoxville Ecovillage idea. At several meetings that now have been held by the FGS Sustainable Living Program the possibility of a Knoxville Ecovillage and the role of FGS in this has been further explored.

Briefly, the KEVP aims for a change in current unsustainable socio-economic patterns and lifestyles by redesigning our living and working environment. We are seeking to develop an urban neighborhood that is community oriented and diversified, based on ecological and permaculture principles, and sustainable technology. The Knoxville Ecovillage will incorporate urban forest area, community gardens, clustered residential areas, cottage industry, non-profit organizations, community centers, etc. It could as such function as a synergy of environmental awareness and serve as a model for sustainable living and education.

Although many desire a rural setting for an ecovillage, the difficulty associated with developing a remote village economy along with the recognized needs for social intercourse, ethnic, demographic, and cultural diversity seemed to lend itself to an urban setting with links to countryside satellites. Furthermore, Knoxville and other cities need a model for sound sustainable urban planning.

The big picture

Very few people are aware of the potential that current sustainable living practices offer in terms of environmental as well as social welfare. Therefore, the majority of the people who could help considerably in moving the project forward, such as planners, investors or urban designers, need to be approached with care.

Nowadays, more and more people realize that the effects of urban sprawl (eg. modern "strip development") are increasingly causing serious problems to our natural and social environments. Perhaps environmental damage (eg. widespread loss of biodiversity and the increasing lack of aesthetically pleasing environments) as well as social problems (eg. increase in crime and homelessness) could be attributed to the loss of a sense of community. For example, would Goose, First, Second and Third Creek be so toxified that no bodily contact is allowed if local citizens would frequently used these creeks as a source of recreation and social interactions within their community?

The social effects of urban sprawl are perhaps best recognized when one looks at innercity areas. At a conference held in Atlanta, 'Blueprints for Successful Communities', Christopher B. Leinberger made the argument that every American city has a preferred growth area which leaves the center of the town 'deserted' like the hole in a donut. For some this doesn't matter much: locked up in their house they don't see much of it anyway. But if one goes outside and looks at Knoxville's 'culture', or 'livability', it is striking that half of the buildings in and around the downtown area are empty. As a forgotten piece of history that slowly turns into a parking lot, the great potential of Knoxville's downtown area gets lost. Most people don't feel safe at night, and as a result only show up (in massive numbers!) when A UT football game or Boomsday brings other people into the innercity. But even during the day, a huge project such as the 'Waterfront Development', despite its good intentions, does not attract more than a handful of joggers. What is going on? The hole of Knoxville is getting bigger, and if we don't watch out we will be left with nothing but a stale donut.

Mr. Leinberger proposed the following needs to revitalize innercity living:
1) A non-profit developmental organization that works toward the creation of a business improvement district and serves as a initiator for the process;
2) Mixed income housing projects to be established downtown;
3) A strategy towards tourism;
4) Promotion of urban entertainment and arts;
5) A commitment of cultural institutions, such as universities;
6) A celebration of the natural and historical reason why the central business district was created in the first place.

It is interesting to note how the Knoxville Ecovillage could contribute to these goals. A lively Old City and a lively nearby Ecovillage could strengthen and complement each other. Furthermore, the Knoxville Ecovillage project could serve as a new light within impoverished inner city areas. It is therefore of importance to be aware of current downtown revitalization initiatives that are focusing on The Old City. It is this 'revitalization-energy' that could be used to channel funds towards a unique Knoxville Ecovillage project.

Key factors

There are four key factors that could make the program successful:
Location

Ideally a large central building (such as an empty school) surrounded by some vacant lots or empty houses is searched for. The location needs to be in biking distance to downtown Knoxville, so that it would be attractive for target residents to settle in the neighborhood while working downtown.

Primary tenants

Key role will be played by the primary tenants. These are the tenants that buy up old houses (or construct their own) and are willing to put time and energy in revitalization.These 'frontier settlers' need to establish the first steps and lay the foundation for future 'development' of the neighborhood.

A private 'cottage industry' incentive

Private businesses with a philosophy based on sustainability need to be established in the area. This will give the 'settlers' a possibility to promote and build on their community without dependency from external funders. The possible link between the organic food production in the rural satellites and an urban for profit distribution center (such as the Knoxville Food Coop) could be explored. Other examples are ecological landscaping companies, retail or permaculture.

A non-profit incentive

Being a model for a sustainable future, The Ecovillage concept could best be promoted by idealistic, 'social change' organizations who take part in the initiative. Office space for these organizations is a main element in the evolution of the village. The Ecovillage concept could serve as a viable funding and interest source for the participating organization and would further promote cooperation in social and environmental welfare.

Potential partnerships

The Knoxville Ecovillage has many rural predecessors that use the same concept, such as Earthhaven (NC), The Farm (TN), Narrow Ridge (TN), etc. Although there is no one way of going about it, there are ample opportunities to learn from each other. Furthermore, information networks, such as The Global Ecovillage network, Ecobalance, The Knoxville Intentional Communities Forum etc. are opportunities for partnering that should be explored.

In Knoxville, there are numerous socially active groups. Community Shares for example, exists of 31 'social change' member groups. It is interesting to note, however, that although there is a large common space of shared interest among these organizations, they appear to work in fragmented ways. An Ecovillage project that houses a variety of such organizations could very well be a binding factor that encourages communication and cooperation.

How to get involved

The Foundations sustainable living meetings are held every two weeks (mondays). In between these dates there is a discussion through a list server (a public e-mail discussion group) that can be found on the Knoxville Intentional Communities Forum web page. Guest Lecturers and presentations are welcomed at the meetings.

KEVP Meeting Minutes

Ecovillage Cohousing Cooperative, Ithaca, NY

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