The Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project is proposed as the opening entry that will start a global Transition Race to Peace and Sustainability. Los Angeles pioneered the suburban sprawl and the car-dependent way of life a half century ago. Now there is a growing awareness in this city that the suburban sprawl and the long, expensive car-commute are no longer sustainable. The pressures and problems the car-dependent sprawl brought to Los Angeles make this city ready and well-qualified to lead the way in developing a new culture and infrastructure of car-free, affordable and sustainable living. The soon-to-be revitalized Los Angeles River corridor provides an ideal proving ground and potential demonstration site for the project. We understand that 21st century problems do not lend themselves to conventional political, market or military solutions. Recognizing as well that sustainability cannot be achieved in a war-torn world, we propose The Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project – a program that promotes peace and sustainability as inseparable parts of an organic whole. The Project proposes to develop a community and demonstrate a self-replicable socioeconomic model with a hybrid economy that would preserve economic security and social harmony even during economic hard times. The Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project consists of the following elements: Preparation: The Los Angeles River Re-Imagined Hardware: Transitional Urban Villages along the LA River Software (concept and agreements): The Holigent Solution Fundraising and Project Planning: Work for the Holigent Team Preparation: The Los Angeles River Re-Imagined During the 1960s, the federal government paved the Los Angeles River to prevent it from flooding. After more than forty years of neglect, the LA River is now a wide and unattractive concrete storm-drain collecting trash and graffiti. In recent years there has been a growing public voice calling for the greening and restoration of the river. In cooperation with community groups, in 2002 the Los Angeles City Council under the leadership of Councilmember Ed Reyes established the Ad Hoc Committee to develop the master plan for the revitalization of the Los Angeles River. In May 2007, following years of planning, debate, and public workshops, the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan was approved by the LA City Council. The LA River Re-Imagined is Holigent.org’s proposal and contribution to the future of the LA River and its role in the continued development of this great city. We envision a string of Transitional Urban Villages developed along the LA River and joined with a fast-moving transit rail that connects with LA’s downtown and transportation center. From the Pacific Coast to the mountains, the LA Basin is almost fully developed. Yet Los Angeles continues to attract people and grow in population. This low-rise city now must recognize that the only option for future growth is vertical expansion. The Mayor, the City Council and city planning are of one mind and development is currently moving in that direction. Holigent.org proposes the construction of Transitional Urban Villages along the revitalized LA River as a systemic solution to many urban problems, particularly the consequences of fifty years of car-dependent sprawl. Los Angeles now has the opportunity to enter the Transition-Race to Peace and Sustainability and serve as the proving ground for a potential solution to the most pressing urban problems this and many other cities are facing. More about The Los Angeles River Re-Imagined The Transitional Urban Village: The “Hardware” of the Transition to Peace and Sustainability Transitional Urban Villages are live/work, mixed-use, human-scale developments with employment in close proximity. The Holigent Transition proposes that a Nonprofit Corporation, in close cooperation with the City, acquire land and build Transitional Urban Villages and Business/Industrial Parks along the Los Angeles River and join these communities with a fast-moving train or monorail that connects to the core of downtown Los Angeles and to the existing mass transit system. Such developments would serve well the goals outlined in the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan. Transitional Urban Villages can facilitate the transition from suburban sprawl to vertical expansion, as well as from unsustainable car-dependent lifestyle to sustainable and largely car-free living. In the process people will rearrange the way they live, work, commute, consume and govern themselves. The transition options will introduce choices that will allow residents to take part in community service in which they earn community credit (C-credit) and will be able to reduce their rent with earned C-credit. The Villages will offer affordable housing as well as multiple options for transitioning to car-free living. Option 1 provides apartments with full parking facilities. Residents pay all or most of their rent in dollars and have the choice to pay a small portion of their rent with Community Credit (C-credit) earned in community service. Option 2 will allow car-owning residents to live in the lower priced pedestrian core of the Village, park their car in the community lot for a fee, and take greater advantage of public transportation. Residents pay a somewhat larger portion of their rent with earned C-credit. Option 3 allows residents to give up car ownership and live in the pedestrian core. They may belong to a car-share program but rely mainly on alternate and public transportation. Car-free living and C-credit rent reduction significantly reduces the cost of living. Option 4 is reserved for qualified car-free, low-income residents and would allow a substantial portion of their rent to be paid with earned C-credit to provide affordable housing. The Nonprofit Corporation reinvests net income and human resource capital, derived from community service, into furthering the purpose and mission of the organization – providing affordable housing in a car-free, environmentally friendly, high-quality living in close proximity to jobs. More about the Transitional Urban Village The Holigent Solution: The “Software” for Economic Security and Social Harmony The Holigent Solution is the organizing concept that can promote the movement toward peace and sustainability. Beyond the transitional options, outlined above, the Holigent Solution focuses on socioeconomic rearrangements to provide a degree of separation of the local from the global economy in order to facilitate economic security and social harmony even during severe downturns of the general/global economy. The heart of the Holigent Solution is the Variable Commitment Allocation Plan (or Delta Plan), which contains three general variations. The details of each plan are negotiated and agreements are drawn among participating employers, their employees-residents and the nonprofit community organization that owns and manages the residential and the commercial/industrial properties. Plan A. Under normal conditions an employee-resident’s (who is free to negotiate his or her contract) obligations are balanced between employment, community service, and rent obligations according to basic agreements. Plan B. During moderate economic hard times, affected individuals’ commitments would be varied according to a pre-negotiated scale. Affected companies, to stay in business, would reduce individuals’ pay and/or work-hours. Affected employee-residents would pay a larger portion of their rent with C-credit earned in community work. Plan C. During severe economic hard times an affected company would go into a dormant state rather than shut down. Employee-residents would go on unpaid furlough rather than be laid off and can expect to be recalled when work is again available. Increased community work allows furloughed employee-residents to retain their apartments and pay most or all their rent with earned C-credit during their time of furlough. Employers, in order to avoid permanent shut down and participate in this program must be either debt-free, insured, subsidized, or otherwise be able to reorganize or freeze obligations to be covered for the dormant period. This plan would save the physical, human resource and business assets of a company and preserve employee-residents’ workplace, housing and quality of life. By introducing a local C-credit, human resource barter-based system in parallel with the general economy, a hybrid system is developed that preserves the best features of the general/global economy while providing a degree of separation for the preservation of local wealth and economic security. The reinvesting of profits and the human resource capital into the purpose and mission of the Transitional/Holigent community assures that once primed the program becomes self-sustaining and expanding. Over time this program can facilitate a significant reduction of oil consumption, oil dependence and carbon-gas emissions. Ultimately, when this program is introduced and nurtured in communities around the world, it will reduce global oil demand and ease international competition for energy as well as help slow climate change. As this program generates local wealth and protects jobs it facilitates economic security and social harmony. This program can become a model and instrument of domestic and foreign policy for peace and sustainability. More about The Holigent Solution Fundraising and Project Planning: As individuals we need to rearrange the way we live, work, commute, consume and govern ourselves. Organizations, institutions, and governments must also reorder priorities to fully reflect the new realities of our planet. In that spirit, we invite all to join the Transition Race to Peace and Sustainability. We ask individuals, institutions, foundations, corporations, and governments to grant or allocate funds for the Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project. Los Angeles is proposed as an ideal laboratory to pioneer this concept. When developed, Los Angeles can be the proving ground and will share its experience with communities large and small across this nation and around the world. The digital age is providing new tools that enhance the power of communication for the individual. Please exercise your power by spreading the message and invite people to participate in the Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Program so that this project can be developed and then shared with communities across the nation. Los Angeles is well suited to pioneer this concept and lay the foundation on which to build a hopeful and promising 21st century in which we can all thrive. The Holigent Team, a group of exceptionally committed individuals, are in charge of fundraising and project planning. Their work is to approach wealthy individuals, foundations, institutions, corporations, as well as lawmakers and invite all to participate in the Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project and build a model Transitional/Holigent community on the banks of the soon-to-be revitalized LA River near downtown Los Angeles .

The Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project is proposed as the opening entry that will start a global Transition Race to Peace and Sustainability. Los Angeles pioneered the suburban sprawl and the car-dependent way of life a half century ago. Now there is a growing awareness in this city that the suburban sprawl and the long, expensive car-commute are no longer sustainable.

The pressures and problems the car-dependent sprawl brought to Los Angeles make this city ready and well-qualified to lead the way in developing a new culture and infrastructure of car-free, affordable and sustainable living. The soon-to-be revitalized Los Angeles River corridor provides an ideal proving ground and potential demonstration site for the project.

We understand that 21st century problems do not lend themselves to conventional political, market or military solutions. Recognizing as well that sustainability cannot be achieved in a war-torn world, we propose The Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project – a program that promotes peace and sustainability as inseparable parts of an organic whole. The Project proposes to develop a community and demonstrate a self-replicable socioeconomic model with a hybrid economy that would preserve economic security and social harmony even during economic hard times.

The Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project

consists of the following elements:

Preparation: The Los Angeles River Re-Imagined

Hardware: Transitional Urban Villages along the LA River

Software (concept and agreements): The Holigent Solution

Fundraising and Project Planning: Work for the Holigent Team

Preparation:

The Los Angeles River Re-Imagined

During the 1960s, the federal government paved the Los Angeles River to prevent it from flooding. After more than forty years of neglect, the LA River is now a wide and unattractive concrete storm-drain collecting trash and graffiti. In recent years there has been a growing public voice calling for the greening and restoration of the river.

In cooperation with community groups, in 2002 the Los Angeles City Council under the leadership of Councilmember Ed Reyes established the Ad Hoc Committee to develop the master plan for the revitalization of the Los Angeles River. In May 2007, following years of planning, debate, and public workshops, the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan was approved by the LA City Council.

The LA River Re-Imagined is Holigent.org’s proposal and contribution to the future of the LA River and its role in the continued development of this great city. We envision a string of Transitional Urban Villages developed along the LA River and joined with a fast-moving transit rail that connects with LA’s downtown and transportation center.

From the Pacific Coast to the mountains, the LA Basin is almost fully developed. Yet Los Angeles continues to attract people and grow in population. This low-rise city now must recognize that the only option for future growth is vertical expansion. The Mayor, the City Council and city planning

are of one mind and development is currently moving in that direction.

Holigent.org proposes the construction of Transitional Urban Villages along the revitalized LA River as a systemic solution to many urban problems, particularly the consequences of fifty years of car-dependent sprawl. Los Angeles now has the opportunity to enter the Transition-Race to Peace and Sustainability and serve as the proving ground for a potential solution to the most pressing urban problems this and many other cities are facing.

More about The Los Angeles River Re-Imagined

The Transitional Urban Village:

The “Hardware” of the Transition to Peace and Sustainability

Transitional Urban Villages are live/work, mixed-use, human-scale developments with employment in close proximity. The Holigent Transition proposes that a Nonprofit Corporation, in close cooperation with the City, acquire land and build Transitional Urban Villages and Business/Industrial Parks along the Los Angeles River and join these communities with a fast-moving train or monorail that connects to the core of downtown Los Angeles and to the existing mass transit system. Such developments would serve well the goals outlined in the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan.

Transitional Urban Villages can facilitate the transition from suburban sprawl to vertical expansion, as well as from unsustainable car-dependent lifestyle to sustainable and largely car-free living. In the process people will rearrange the way they live, work, commute, consume and govern themselves. The transition options will introduce choices that will allow residents to take part in community service in which they earn community credit (C-credit) and will be able to reduce their rent with earned C-credit. The Villages will offer affordable housing as well as multiple options for transitioning to car-free living.

Option 1 provides apartments with full parking facilities. Residents pay all or most of their rent in dollars and have the choice to pay a small portion of their rent with Community Credit (C-credit) earned in community service.

Option 2 will allow car-owning residents to live in the lower priced pedestrian core of the Village, park their car in the community lot for a fee, and take greater advantage of public transportation. Residents pay a somewhat larger portion of their rent with earned C-credit.

Option 3 allows residents to give up car ownership and live in the pedestrian core. They may belong to a car-share program but rely mainly on alternate and public transportation. Car-free living and C-credit rent reduction significantly reduces the cost of living.

Option 4 is reserved for qualified car-free, low-income residents and would allow a substantial portion of their rent to be paid with earned C-credit to provide affordable housing.

The Nonprofit Corporation reinvests net income and human resource capital, derived from community service, into furthering the purpose and mission of the organization – providing affordable housing in a car-free, environmentally friendly, high-quality living in close proximity to jobs. More about the Transitional Urban Village

The Holigent Solution:

The “Software” for Economic Security and Social Harmony

The Holigent Solution is the organizing concept that can promote the movement toward peace and sustainability. Beyond the transitional options, outlined above, the Holigent Solution focuses on socioeconomic rearrangements to provide a degree of separation of the local from the global economy in order to facilitate economic security and social harmony even during severe downturns of the general/global economy.

The heart of the Holigent Solution is the Variable Commitment Allocation Plan (or Delta Plan), which contains three general variations. The details of each plan are negotiated and agreements are drawn among participating employers, their employees-residents and the nonprofit community organization that owns and manages the residential and the commercial/industrial properties.

Plan A. Under normal conditions an employee-resident’s (who is free to negotiate his or her contract) obligations are balanced between employment, community service, and rent obligations according to basic agreements.

Plan B. During moderate economic hard times, affected individuals’ commitments would be varied according to a pre-negotiated scale. Affected companies, to stay in business, would reduce individuals’ pay and/or work-hours. Affected employee-residents would pay a larger portion of their rent with C-credit earned in community work.

Plan C. During severe economic hard times an affected company would go into a dormant state rather than shut down. Employee-residents would go on unpaid furlough rather than be laid off and can expect to be recalled when work is again available. Increased community work allows furloughed employee-residents to retain their apartments and pay most or all their rent with earned C-credit during their time of furlough. Employers, in order to avoid permanent shut down and participate in this program must be either debt-free, insured, subsidized, or otherwise be able to reorganize or freeze obligations to be covered for the dormant period. This plan would save the physical, human resource and business assets of a company and preserve employee-residents’ workplace, housing and quality of life.

By introducing a local C-credit, human resource barter-based system in parallel with the general economy, a hybrid system is developed that preserves the best features of the general/global economy while providing a degree of separation for the preservation of local wealth and economic security.

The reinvesting of profits and the human resource capital into the purpose and mission of the Transitional/Holigent community assures that once primed the program becomes self-sustaining and expanding. Over time this program can facilitate a significant reduction of oil consumption, oil dependence and carbon-gas emissions.

Ultimately, when this program is introduced and nurtured in communities around the world, it will reduce global oil demand and ease international competition for energy as well as help slow climate change. As this program generates local wealth and protects jobs it facilitates economic security and social harmony. This program can become a model and instrument of domestic and foreign policy for peace and sustainability. More about The Holigent Solution

Fundraising and Project Planning:

As individuals we need to rearrange the way we live, work, commute, consume and govern ourselves. Organizations, institutions, and governments must also reorder priorities to fully reflect the new realities of our planet. In that spirit, we invite all to join the Transition Race to Peace and Sustainability. We ask individuals, institutions, foundations, corporations, and governments to grant or allocate funds for the Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project. Los Angeles is proposed as an ideal laboratory to pioneer this concept. When developed, Los Angeles can be the proving ground and will share its experience with communities large and small across this nation and around the world.

The digital age is providing new tools that enhance the power of communication for the individual. Please exercise your power by spreading the message and invite people to participate in the Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Program so that this project can be developed and then shared with communities across the nation. Los Angeles is well suited to

pioneer this concept and lay the foundation on which to build a hopeful and promising 21st century in which we can all thrive.

The Holigent Team, a group of exceptionally committed individuals, are in charge of fundraising and project planning. Their work is to approach wealthy individuals, foundations, institutions, corporations, as well as lawmakers and invite all to participate in the Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project and build a model Transitional/Holigent community on the banks of the soon-to-be revitalized LA River near downtown Los Angeles .

The Los Angeles Peace and Sustainability Project*

Immediate action is required!

Multiple indicators suggest that we have only a decade or two to change course and reduce carbon-gas emissions, head off global energy crisis, and avoid war sparked by conflicts over diminishing resources . Our failure to act now will leave the U.S. and the rest of the world on an irreversible course leading to The Dark Scenario. Please be part of the solution to win our transition race against time to attain peace and sustainability locally and promote this concept globally.

Use your power to inform and act now:

The Internet provides us with a powerful tool to inform and communicate. Please reach out and use your power to remind others about the urgency of the human condition on our planet and invite people to Be Part of the Solution

*“Los Angeles” in the above title and throughout this website used as a geographic identifier. This organization is not associated with, endorsed, or funded in any way by the City of Los Angeles, or any of its departments or agencies. Further, all ideas, positions and urban-planning concepts presented herein are those of this organization or the credited authors, unless noted otherwise.