2009

TheBuckminsterFuller

Challenge

CONFERRING CEREMONY

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, CHICAGO

JUNE 6, 2009

OmniOculi, a limited edition sculpture created by Tom Shannon for the Buckminster Fuller Challenge winner

R. Buckminster Fuller challenged himself and the world “to make the world work for 100% of hu-manity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous co-operation without ecological of-fence or disadvantage to anyone.”

Fuller coupled this intention with a pioneering approach aimed at solving complex problems. This ap-proach, which he called compre-hensive, anticipatory design sci-ence, combines an emphasis on individual initiative and integrity with whole systems thinking, sci-entific rigor and faithful reliance on nature’s underlying principles.Fuller’s challenge inspired BFI to launch The Buckminster Full-er Challenge in 2007 to to sup-port the development and imple-mentation of a solution that has significant potential to solve hu-manity’s most pressing problems.

Entries must present a bold, vision-ary, tangible initiative that is focused on a well-defined need of critical im-portance. They should be regionally specific yet globally applicable, and backed up by a solid plan and the ca-pability to move the solution forward.

About The Buckminster Fuller Challenge

We seek integrated solutions within a broad range of human endeavor that exemplify the trimtab principle. Trimtabs demonstrate how small amounts of energy and resources precisely applied at the right time and place can produce maximum advantageous change.

ENTRIES MUST BE...

THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE

COMPREHENSIVE

ANTICIPATORY

ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE

FEASIBLE

VERIFIABLE

REPLICABLE

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09 JURY

Dr. John Todd, winner of the 2008 Buck-minster Fuller Challenge, is one of the pioneers in the emerging field of ecological design and engineering. He and nanchy Jack Todd are the Founders of Ocean Arks International, a non-profit research and education organi-zation established in 1981, John is also the Founder and a Principal in Todd Ecological Design, an international ecological design and engineering firm based in Woods Hole on Cape Cod.

Nancy Jack Todd is Vice President of Ocean Arks International and editor of its journal Annals of Earth; co-founder with John Todd of the New Alchemy InstituteHelena

Norberg-Hodge

ADAM BLY

Adam Bly is Founder and CEO of Seed Media Group and the Editor-in-Chief of Seed.

At the age of 16, Adam became the youngest researcher at the National Research Council of Canada. While at NRC, Adam set out to launch a new type of magazine that captured the ideas, issues and icons shaping the global science culture. SEED received the 2006 Independent Press Award for Best Science and Technology Coverage.

Adam is the recipient of numerous inter-national prizes and has spoken around the world on the relationship between science and society in the 21st century.

JAMAIS CASCIO

Jamais Cascio writes about the intersec-tion of emerging technologies, environ-mental dilemmas, and cultural transfor-mation, specializing in the design and creation of plausible scenarios of the future. His work focuses on the impor-tance of long-term, systemic thinking, emphasizing the power of openness, transparency and flexibility as catalysts for building a more resilient society.

Cascio’s work appears in publica-tions as diverse as Metropolis, Tech-nology Review, and ForeignPolicy.com. Cascio has spoken about future possibilities around the world.

Helena Norberg-Hodge is the founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture, a non-profit organi-sation concerned with the protection of both biological and cultural diversity, and education for action: moving beyond single issues to look at the more funda-mental influences that shape our lives.

She is also involved with the Global Ecovillage Network and directs the Ladakh Project, renowned for its groundbreaking work in sustainable development on the Tibetan plateau. She is a recipient of the Right Liveli-hood Award or Alternative Nobel Prize.

GREG WATSON

From 1995 to 1999 Greg Watson served as Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. He has been with: Second Nature as its Director of Educational Programs; The Nature Conser-vancy’s Eastern Regional Office as its Director; and Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture as Commissioner.

As Vice President for Sustainable Devel-opment & Renewable Energy at the Massachusetts Technology Collabora-tive, he is taking the lead role on the Offshore Wind Collaborative working with the U.S. Department of Energy and GE.

09 JURY

JOHN TODD ANDNANCY JACK TODD

Dr. John Todd, winner of the 2008 Buck-minster Fuller Challenge, is one of the pioneers in the emerging field of ecological design and engineering. John is also the Founder and a Principal in Todd Ecological Design, an interna-tional ecological design and engineering firm based in Woods Hole on Cape Cod.

He and Nancy Jack Todd are the co-founders of Ocean Arks Interna-tional, a non-profit research and educa-tion organization established in 1981.

Nancy Jack Todd is Vice President of Ocean Arks International and editor of its journal Annals of Earth; co-founder with John Todd of the New Alchemy Institute, which has been at the forefront of work in appropriate-scale technology; author and co-author of many works, including Bio-shelters, Ocean Arks and City Farming.

09 JURY + PANELIST

EDIE FARWELL

Jury Member + Guest Panelist

Jury Member + Guest Panelist

Panel Moderator

Edie Farwell is the Program Director of the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program of the Sustainability Institute.

The Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program was launched in 2002 to honor and build on the life example of Dr. Donella Meadows. Donella’s life and work expressed a dedication to scientific rigor, a deeply grounded optimism, and the ability to communicate clearly and compassionately. Her systems approach enabled her to see the root causes of seemingly intractable problems - poverty, war, environmental degradation.

Susan S. Szenasy is Editor-in-Chief of Metropolis, the award-winning New York City-based magazine of architec-ture, culture, and design. Since 1986 she has lead the magazine through years of landmark design journalism, achieving domestic and international recognition. She is internationally recognized as an authority on sustainability and design.

She has been honored with two IIDA Presidential Commendations, is an honorary member of the ASLA, and the 2008 recipient of the ASID Patron’s Prize and Presidential Commendation as well as the SARA/NY medallion of honor.

BILL BROWNING

SASAN SZENASY

Early in his career, Bill helped build Buckminster Fuller’s last experimental structure, based on advanced geom-etry systems. In 1991, he founded Green Development Services at Rocky Mountain Institute, an entrepreneurial, non-profit “think and do tank” whose work advances energy-efficient and environmentally-responsive design.

In 2005 he joined Jeffrey Bannon in co-founding Browning+Bannon LLC, an independent real estate and consulting firm focused on environmentally respon-sive development. Bill was a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Coun-cil’s Board of Directors, and still serves on the USGBC’s Governance Board.

CRITERIA AND PROCESS

2009 SELECTION PROCESS

Entries were subjected to a rigorous screening and review for compliance with eligibility, criteria and entry require-ments by a team comprised of members of the Award Program Committee of the Board of Directors, staff and advisors. A pool of 33 finalists were invited to submit additional information and participate in an in-depth interview with the above mentioned team.

The jury reviewed the finalists over a pe-riod of eight weeks before gathering for a final deliberation. The jury’s selection of the winner, runner-up and two honorable mentions was unanimous.

All entries to the 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge have been published in the IDEA INDEX.

http://challenge.bfi.org/ideaindex

REVIEW TEAMJoshua Arnow

Michael Ben-EliMark Beam

David McConvilleMatt Barron

Bonnie DeVarcoElizabeth Thompson

Jay BaldwinLucilla Marvel

“If success or failure of the planet and of human beings de-pended on how I am and what I do ... How would I be? What would I do?”

— Buckminster Fuller

CRITERIA DEFINITIONS

• COMPREHENSIVE - Addresses the interaction of key issues responsible for present conditions; solving multiple problems without creating new ones.

• ANTICIPATORY - Factoring in critical future trends and needs as well as potential long term impacts of implementation.

• ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE - Reflecting nature’s underlying principles while enhancing the Earth’s life-support systems.

• FEASIBLE- Relying primarily on current technology and existing resources.

• VERIFIABLE - Able to withstand rigorous empirical testing.

• REPLICABLE- Able to scale and adapt to a broad range of conditions.

We want the winning solution to be what Fuller called a trimtab- a catalyst inserted into a failing system at the right time and place, that accelerates the transition to an equitable and sustainable future.

RUNNER-UP

DREAMING NEW MEXICO

Submitted by: BioneersKenny Ausubel, Co-FounderPeter Warshallhttp://challenge.bfi.org/runnerup_2009

HONORABLE MENTION

CYCLES FOR HEALTH

Submitted by:Joseph Agoada, Two Wheeled Foundation; Dr. John Baptist Niwagaba, Kigezi Community Project; Patrick Kayemba, First African Bicycle Information Organizationhttp://challenge.bfi.org/C4H_2009

HONORABLE MENTION

MAKURU BIOCENTRES

Submitted by: Umande Trust,GOAL Ireland Partnershiphttp://challenge.bfi.org/makuru_2009

STATEMENT FROM THE JURY ABOUT THE 2009 CHALLENGE RUNNER UP AND HONORABLE MENTIONS

Dreaming New Mexico (DNM) has been selected as the Runner Up of the 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge. In the opinion of this jury, Dreaming New Mexi-co brings together the tools of grassroots organizing and community leadership with scientific know-how and politi-cal savvy to both create a vision for the future and lay the groundwork for get-ting there. This is a fundamental lever-age point for creating systemic change.

The core concept of this work is the power of transformative visioning, of imagining the world we want to see and then putting the steps in place to get us there, a process which Bucky often called designing the ‘preferred state.’

The solution tackles an issue often over-looked by problem-solvers – the political dynamic and the political barriers that often slow or stop large-scale change. The ‘dreaming’ phase of DNM brings key polit-ical decision makers to the table with the community from the beginning to work collaboratively to envision a sustainable future, in turn creating social connec-tions and a partnership of trust that can carry the project forward. In many ways, DNM is a process for creating a new po-litical landscape that ties together earth stewardship values with core community needs – from fresh water, to clean ener-gy, to abundant and locally-grown food.

Imagining a better future is the first step towards creating that future and DNM provides a rich community process that can be replicated across the globe to give voice to the grassroots and help us build strong local economies and sustainable, resilient communities.

We have named two Honorable Men-tions that are well-deserving of at-tention and support and have the potential to effect real change in less developed parts of the world.

Cycle for Health ties together existing re-sources into an elegant solution for Afri-can villages underserved by transporta-tion infrastructure. The team works with Canadian and U.S. NGOs to obtain used bicycles, ships the bikes to East Africa in shipping containers, converts the ship-ping containers into bike repair shops, and distributes the bikes to local commu-nity groups and hospitals that repurpose them for use as ambulances and delivery vehicles for medical supplies, food, and water. The solution not only provides much-needed transportation alterna-tives, it brings economic opportunity and jobs in bicycle repair and courier service.

Mukuru BioCentres offers a comprehen-sive solution to some of the most egre-gious problems of urban slums, from poor sanitation to lack of clean water to unpredictable or nonexistent energy infrastructure. The BioCentres, of which there are already 12 in operation in Kenya, are public toilets housed above a biogas digester that produces affordable fuel from human waste, which is then made available to the local community. The facilities also provide clean water, pub-lic space, and workspace which serves as an incubator for local businesses.

Both of these projects prove that sys-temic change doesn’t require the de-velopment of new technology or radical social disruption, sometimes rearrang-ing the pieces of existing systems and finding a new way to insert them where they are most needed makes all the dif-ference. We applaud the outstanding work being done by these teams and wish them great success in the future.

Runner-Up Honorable Mentions

STATEMENT FROM THE BFI ABOUT THE 2009 CHALLENGE RUNNER UP

The transition to a sustainable world economy depends in large part on shared visions of futures we hope to see. When it comes to a future we hope not to see we better pay close attention to the Center for Global Change Science at MIT. On May 19th the Center published results of their most comprehensive climate model yet and it shows that without rapid and massive ac-tion, by 2100 median surface temperatures could rise 5.2 Celsius (9.36 F), about twice as severe as the previous projection of 2.4 Celsius (4.32 F), performed six years ago.

The Dreaming New Mexico (DNM) initia-tive is grappling with a fundamental question: how do citizens of New Mexico move swiftly with care and intelligence from the present unsustainable condi-tion to a preferred state? The concept of “preferred states” is central to Buckmin-ster Fuller’s design-science approach. It takes problem solving beyond the busi-ness as usual calculation of risks into the creative realm where new possi-bilities can be imagined and designed.

This year’s runner up understands this is a process that begins with daring to dream the future. And by daring to dream future themselves, the Dreaming New Mexico (DNM) team has embarked on a cross cul-tural, multi-stakeholder process to col-laboratively map a green infrastructure and resource strategy for an entire state.

Resilient solutions to intractable large-scale problems are best realized through collaborative democratic processes grounded in principles of sustainabil-ity and rigorous science. DNM provides a cohesive combination of these attri-butes which Kenny Ausubel and Peter Warshall, with support from the Bioneers network, are diligently applying to an ar-ray of resource challenges and opportu-nities in New Mexico. The arid climate of New Mexico, its abundant sunshine and great cultural diversity (the population is 43% Hispanic and 9% Native Ameri-

can), makes DNM an ideal laboratory for such a globally relevant experiment.

Focusing initially on energy assets, par-ticipants in the DNM process are using GIS mapping technology to render with clarity and precision a collective vi-sion of New Mexico’s renewable energy future. To form a comprehensive view of the preferred state DNM will develop additional “Future Maps” including wa-ter and land use, food production, gov-ernance and social justice. Ultimately DNM intends to show that there are effec-tive stakeholder processes and tools that can drive significant change and stand the test of time, regardless of short-term vagaries in the political arena.

Dreaming New Mexico presumes Fuller’s steadfast position that “we have option to make it” -- that the necessary re-sources, tools and “do more with less” know-how are now at hand. With this firmly in mind, they are on their way towards demonstrating that New Mex-ico has the option to realize sustain-ability as an enduring condition with-in a generation, and by extension, so do similar arid regions the world over.

Runner-Up:“Dreaming the Future Can Create the Future”

Wind Resource Map

geo-narratives

Solar Resource Map

Runner Up: Dreaming New Mexico

Mapping the Environmental Challengess

Pamphlet providing educational tools informed by all

STATEMENT FROM THE BFI ABOUT THE 2009 CHALLENGE HONORABLE MENTIONS

Two projects received Honorable Mention from the 2009 Challenge Jury. Each have identified key elements of failing systems in impoverished areas of East Africa and have crafted well integrated strategies to address them. They are both interven-ing with solutions to the most basic life support services which are missing in much of the developing world; timely access to medical care, fresh water, and sanitation. But their approach, be-ing holistic and entrepreneurial, breaks them out of the usual narrow, compart-mentalized approach which aims to fix just one dimension of a problem. These projects are producing multiple benefits in the communities they touch -- from education and training to employment and improved health. This is why each

project will be an important catalyst, inspiring the development of more com-prehensive solutions, and starting a vir-tuous cycle of synergy and innovation that could eventually bring about system level change.

Fuller likened such interventions to the function of a trimtab, a small mecha-nism affixed to the rudder of a large ship designed to create a low pressure area that makes it much easier for the rudder to steer the vessel. The tiny trimtab facili-tates the turning of a huge ship using the least amount of energy and resources.

The team behind Cycle for Health has made the bicycle, an accepted and valued form of carbon free rural transport in Uganda, the center of an integrated strategy to greatly improve mobility of medicine, medical personnel and patients. Here, ample drugs and skilled professionals cannot reach patients in need of medical attention, due in large part, to poor roads and limited use of motorized vehicles. Timely diagnosis, treatment and drug de-livery is critical, especially for pregnant women and HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB pa-tients. Delays in initial care turn small, treatable problems into serious ailments, resulting in long, costly journeys to ex-pensive city hospitals. Cycle for Health re-cycles and repurposes thousands of used bicycles from North America into capital assets used to build and expand a coordi-nated network of small scale rural medi-cal mobility enterprises, saving lives, cre-ating jobs and raising living standards.

Honorable Mentions: Powerful Trimtabs for the Developing World

Honorable Mention: Cycles for Health

The Mukuru BioCentres team is tackling the appalling lack of sanitary facilities, access to fresh water and the need for clean, inexpensive cooking fuel in the Mukuru squatter slum of Nairobi. Here there are only around 200 toilets serv-ing 200,000 people and no legal access to nearby municipal water mains. People steal water from the mains exposing the ‘public’ water supply to contamination, human waste lies on paths and in open trenches. The most prevalent childhood sicknesses and 40% of infant mortality are caused by inadequate sanitation. The solution brings together under one roof clean public toilets and washrooms with bio-digesters that convert human waste into clean bio-gas cooking fuel, and pro-duce treated grey water for reuse in toi-lets. It is built with local labor and mate-rials and requires minimal maintenance, no mechanized parts and no sewerage infrastructure. The solution is so effec-tive that the government has agreed to allow direct hook up to the water main enabling BioCentres to sell affordable clean water. Upper floors provide rooms for community activities, cottage indus-tries and restaurants. Income generated through rental space and sales of bio-gas and water subsidize the operation of the toilets. Twelve BioCentres have already been built and serve over 7000 people ev-ery day. All are breaking even and each is projected to turn a profit which will be reinvested in expanding the program.

Cycle for Health and Mukuru Biocentres present a new generation of developing world solutions that exemplify the trimtab approach. The results are tangible, im-mediately visible, and directly improve quality of life for thousands of people. Moreover, the replicable nature of these solutions will spread essential life sup-porting benefits far beyond their initial points of contact. These visionary initia-tives deserve much continued support.

Honorable Mention: Mukuru Biocentres

2009 WINNING SOLUTIONS U S T A I N A B L E P E R S O N A L M O B I L I T YA N D M O B I L I T Y O N D E M A N D

Mobility-on-Demand systems utilize fleets of shared-use lightweight electric vehicles placed at automatic charging racks throughout city. The CityCar and RoboScooter, both folding vehicles, minimize parking space and can be picked-up and dropped-off at any rack. Mobility-on-Demand systems maximize mobility and dramatically reduce conges-tion and pollution through energy and land-use efficiency.

http://challenge.bfi.org/winner_2009

Submitted by: Smart Cities Group at MIT

Ryan Chin-Charles Guan- William Lark-

Michael Chia-Liang Lin-Dimitris Papanikolaou-

Arthur Petron-Raul-David “Retro” Poblano-

Andres Sevtsuk- Professor William J. Mitchell-

The negative externalities of automobile use – urban conges-tion, inefficient energy use, petroleum addiction, air and noise pollution, and carbon emis-sions leading to climate change – requires a complete redesign of mobility at the system level.

The introduction of SPM/MOD systems goes beyond incre-mental improvements that only focus on fuel efficiency like hybrid-electric, fuel cell, and clean diesel technology. It is a comprehenisve rede-sign of the mobility system.

This solution anticipates global trends in 1) one-way vehicle sharing systems, 2) improve-ments in battery, inductive charging technologies, and in-wheel electric motors that allow economically viable elec-tric vehicles, 3) need to solve the “Last-Mile” problem within public transit systems, 4) devel-opment of a smart electric grid, 5) upcoming legislation promoting a new green economy.

Our team at MIT is uniquely positioned to bridge industry and government (cities) because of our past experi-ence in tackling complex problems like climate change, education, energy, transpor-tation, and city planning.

AN EXCERPT FROM THE WINNING PROPOSAL

COMPREHENSIVE

ANTICIPATORY

ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE

FEASIBLE

VERIFIABLE

REPLICABLE

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Clean, compact, energy efficient vehicles

TRIBTAB FOR TRANSPORTATION2009 Winning SolutionSustainable Personal Mobility and Mobility on DemandSmart Cities Group-MIT

5

Clean, compact, energy efficient vehicles

> Mobility on demand users can employ multiple vehicle types that are specifically suited to their needs and a complement to public transport.

7

Stacks and racks throughout the city

Large vehicle storage areas can lie outside of the dense

historic center

Major mobility nodes exist at the traditional city gates

Minor mobility nodes are aligned with piazzas and

existing transportation hubs

Minor ‘snap-on’ stacks and racks can be placed in streets

and adjusted over time

0 100

250

500

1000mNTS

In the opinion of this jury, Sustain-able Personal Mobility & Mobility on Demand, best represents the compre-hensive, anticipatory approach to design pioneered by R. Buckminster Fuller – it is a, bold, visionary idea and beautifully reflects the spirit of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge.

Given the nature of the crises we are facing, from climate change to economic collapse, what is important is to demonstrate that this approach to design and problem solving – while always thinking big – has the potential to bring about changes in the near-term. This project is a perfect example of the kind of radical, transformative change that is possible when we reconceive the old ways of doing things and take a systems-based approach to design.

SPM/MoD isn’t just about the design of these lightweight, highly effi-cient, electric vehicles, it is about inserting that technological innova-tion into the social and cultural envi-ronment and designing an intuitive system within which they function.

The technological innovation embodied in these vehicles is just one piece of a larger system design which addresses issues from pollu-tion, to congestion, to urban space, to economics, to energy use, to the very idea of personal transportation and what that means in a world with nearly seven billion inhabitants. It truly is – in the Bucky tradition – a transformative solution rather than an isolated piece of technology.

Three innovative new vehicles are at the core of the concept, the CityCar, the RoboScooter, and the GreenWheel bicycle. While the aesthetics of the

CityCar rival that of an upscale vehicle and it may be tempting to assume that this project is targeted to the privileged few, the strategy is multi-faceted and has been designed to adapt and scale, making it applicable from New York City to Taipei to Lagos.

The RoboScooter and the Green-Wheel Bicycle offer pollution-free, affordable mobility alternatives just as well-suited to the world’s largest most cosmopolitan cities as they are to less developed areas that currently rely on dirty and dangerous means of transporta-tion – even as millions of drivers are being added to the roads every day.

The adoption of this system by the rapidly developing mega-cities of the would allow them to ‘leap-frog’ past the internal combustion engine and the legacy technologies of the developed world and chart a new course of economic development and infrastructure design based on clean, efficient, sustainable transportation, accessible to all.

We can’t wait for our supplies of fossil fuels to be exhausted or for electric cars to become more affordable, we have to rethink the very concept of personal mobility now and this project provides a roadmap to get us there. We are proud to award the 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge prize to this project and the incredible team of students who submitted it.

STATEMENT FROM THE JURY ABOUT THE 2009 CHALLENGE WINNER

“...We can’t wait for our supplies of fossil fuels to be exhausted or for electric cars to become more affordable, we have to rethink the very concept of personal mobility now and this project provides a roadmap to get us there. .”

-09 Jury

“it is a, bold, visionary idea and beautifully reflects the spirit of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge.”

-09 Jury

TThe evolution of human settle-ment has reached the point where over half of the world’s 6.77 billion people now live in cities. Where is this trend headed? The UN esti-mates that in a little over 40 years

the projected global population will reach 9 billion, of which 70% will be urban dwellers. How we choose to manage this epochal transition will determine the quality of life on this planet in fundamental ways.

The use of personal transport vehi-cles is basic to urban environments. However, in many crowded metro regions around the world increasing traffic congestion and tailpipe emis-sions are having serious impacts on human health, safety, produc-tivity, civic beauty and the climate. Compound the current state with the likelihood that over the next handful of decades more than 6 billion humans will reside in urban settings and it becomes painfully obvious that a new paradigm for urban personal mobility is absolutely critical.

Buckminster Fuller insisted that “you never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change some-thing, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” This is precisely what the Smart Cities Group at the MIT Media lab has

recognized and set out to accom-plish through their winning strategy: Sustainable Personal Mobility and Mobility-on-Demand Systems.

In setting out on this challenge,

the Smart Cities Group at the MIT Media Lab examined how existing mobility, energy, and communica-tion systems worked in cities and discovered the lack of integration between these systems and ineffi-ciencies within each. In particular, the privately owned and fossil fueled automobile was in need of reinven-tion with respect to urban use. They have designed and tested a compli-mentary set of electric powered vehicles (bicycle, scooter, and car) with extraordinary innovation in efficiency, safety and convenience. In addition, they have addressed what is referred to by transporta-tion planners as the “first and last mile’ problem - the ubiquitous gap between final destination and the nearest public transit stop. The team has also developed a compelling economic model and business plan informed by in-depth case studies that will likely continue attracting public and private support.

Most of the media coverage about this initiative concentrates on the advanced design of the vehicles.

“[SPM/MOD] charts a clear path toward significantly improving the climatescapes, streetscapes, and soundscapes which impact millions of urban dwellers around the world. ”

STATEMENT FROM THE BFI ABOUT THE 2009 CHALLENGE WINNER

Winner:“A New Paradigm for Personal Urban Mobility”

This is understandable given our culture’s fascination with futuristic technology. But if you probe deeper, the Media Lab’s strategy seems to transcend the circumscription of sheer engineering prowess. From our perspective, we see certain design principles operating at the core of this initiative which we believe provides the basis of its underlying integrity.

Viewed as an integrated whole, one can see that the SPM/MoD strategy seeks to embody the key character-istics of stable, vibrant, complex systems found in nature. Headed by Professor William J. Mitchell and PHD candidate Ryan Chin, the team has employed an approach that contains essential levels of variety and relies on mutual adaptation. They envision a personal mobility model which is sufficiently diverse and networked, to be capable of producing an evolving process of dynamic equilibrium. Variety is expressed by combining multiple vehicle types at abundant access nodes with a flexible mix of capacity and price options tailored to fit local demographics and usage patterns. To ensure functioning as an adaptive, creative, learning system,

SPM/MoD deftly incorporates another primary feature of resilient natural systems: continuous feedback loops. This is achieved through location based tracking (GPS), real time information flows between users and mobility managers, as well as dynamic pricing incentives. SPM/Mod takes other important steps forward by including the use of renew-able energy resources, designing for smart grid applications and optimizing components for future “cradle to cradle” material flows.

The timeliness of this new para-digm for personal urban mobility makes it easy to foresee, that in the not too distant future, it could be successfully implemented in both old and new cities and on all conti-nents. It could also allow emerging urban areas to leap frog over the dysfunctional approach to personal mobility currently plaguing many developed economies. Sustainable Personal Mobility and Mobility-on-Demand Systems chart a clear path toward significantly enhancing the climatescapes, streetscapes, and soundscapes impacting millions of urban dwellers around the world.

Above: Mobility on Demand system integrated with a renewable power, energy storage, and smart grids.

Above: Mobility on Demand system network management strategy.

Dymaxion Car

When first tackling issues of mobility and transportation, Buckminster. Fuller sought to bring principles of streamlining and light weight designcommonly utilized in the aviation and nautical industries to improve performance efficiency for the standard automobile of the 1930s. The result was one of Fuller’s most famous inventions: a three wheeled car that could carry 11 passengers, reach speeds of 120 mph and get 30 miles per gallon.

Dymaxion Transport

Expanding his interests of personal mobility to a much larger and imagina-tive scale, Fuller re-envisioned air travel with his Dymaxion Transport renderings. Seeking to consolidate ‘all the legs of journey’ into one continuous trip, Fuller explored the use of traveling cartridges that could connect to mass transit, load efficiently onto an airplane, and even travel on their own as a small car. The system was integrated within a global computerized system that would best determine routing and connections.

Kaiser Prototype

Using a similar streamline design as with the original Dymaxion Car, this 1943 proposal of Fuller’s for industri-alist Henry Kaiser was geared towards creating a smaller passenger automo-bile that was even moreefficient in fuel consumption. In additional to its small single row of seating for four the plan included another radical breakthrough in automotive design, 3 separate 15 horsepower engines – one at each wheel.

SPOTLIGHT ON FULLER

“...[R]ather than attempting to improve an existing model of an automobile, [Fuller] attempted to address the question of human transportation from first principles, emulating the design principles he observed in nature.”

Dymaxion Transport Systems

Michael J. Gorman, Buckminster Fuller: Designing for Mobility, 2005.

Source Bucky Works: Buckminster Fuller’s Ideas for Today, by Jay Baldwin. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 1996.

P L E A S E J O I N U S ! IMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CONFERRING CEREMONY

June 7th 10:00am

Rowing needle demonstration and raceOrganized by Carl Solway Gallery and the Chicago Department of Cultural AffairsChicago River at Lake Shore Drive

Bruce Mau is one of the world’s most sought-after designers. He is the cre-ative director of Bruce Mau Design, and the founder of the Center for Massive Change. Mau’s prolific body of work cuts across many sectors and disciplines. Mau’s studio has created books, exhibi-tions, retail environments, building graphics, park designs, corporate iden-tities, videos, art installations, web-sites, and industrial products.

RECEPTION + CELEBRATION

June 6th 5:00 -8:00pm:Presentation by Bruce Mau and installa-tion of Fuller’s iconic Fly’s Eye Dome

Merchandise Mart, South Lobby, 222 Mer-chandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL (map on last page)

“The Fly’s Eye domes are designed as components of a ‘livingry’ service. The basic hardware components will produce a beautiful, fully equipped, air-deliver-able house that weighs and costs about as much as a good automobile. Not only will it be highly efficient in its use of energy and materials, it also will be capable of harvesting incoming light and wind energies.”

- Buckminster Fuller, Critical Path, 1983

BRUCE MAU

EVENT ON SUNDAY June 7th

EVENT ON SUNDAY

AnonymousThe Atwater Kent FoundationThe James Dyson FoundationThe Highfield FoundationThe Jewish Communal Fund

Joshua ArnowJoao Amorim & Postmodern TimesJay BaldwinMatt BurronMichael Ben-EliThe Board of Directors of the Buckminster Fuller InstituteThe 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge JuryMartin BrennanRick DennyBonnie DeVarcoThe Estate of Buckminster FullerJohn Ferry

And through the generous financial support of the following people:

We would also like to extend our thanks to the following people:

This program was made possible by the generous support of the following institutions and foundations:

The members of The Buckminster Fuller InstituteMetropolis MagazineRudolf Steiner Social Finance Fund

Matt HowardRob KennerLisa KennerGabrielle LyonTim MurrayDevin ReitsmaTom ShannonCarl SolwayRachel SteinbergGreg WatsonBeatrice WhiteThomas Conover WhiteThe Whitney Museum of American ArtThomas Zung

AIA, ChicagoThe Arena Stage, Washington, DCThe Chicago Reader The Millenium Knickerbocker HotelBruce Mau StudioThe Merchandise MartThe Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

Brett BoyeAnne Conover CarsonJoe & Elberta ClintonLydia CochraneDirk DenisonKevin FattorCJ FearnleyGreg FieldsHazel HendersonDouglas Hurdelbrink & Mary SlivonTerrill JanssenNeal Katz

The Public Art Fund of the City of ChicagoMax Protech GalleryCarl Solway GalleryClaudia Skylar & James MastroVitra

Patrick HorsbrughLucilla MarvelPeter MeisenHans MeyerJeannie MoberlyPhilip MooreBill PerkVictor SanchezAllegra Fuller SnyderStephen WenzelBlair WolframThomas Zung

The 2009 conferring ceremony & related programs in Chicago supported by :

“BFI is dedicated to accelerating the development and deployment of solutions which radically advance human well being and ecosystem health.”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Allegra Fuller Snyder, Emeritus

Neal Katz, President

Kirk Bergstrom, Vice President

Hans Meyer, Treasurer

Lucilla Marvel, Secretary

Mark Beam

Joseph Clinton

Lynette Kessler

Martin Leaf

Jonathan Marvel

David McConville

Jaime Snyder

Shoji Sadao

Thomas Zung

BFI STAFF

Will Elkins, Administrative Coordinator

JenJoy Roybal, Program Manager

David Shearer, Development

Jean Tesoriero, Bookkeeping and Accounting

Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Director

The Buckminster Fuller Institute is dedi-cated to accelerating the development and deployment of solutions which radi-cally advance human well being and the health of our planet’s ecosystems. We aim to deeply influence the ascendance of a new generation of design-science pioneers who are leading the creation of an abundant and restorative world economy that benefits all humanity.

Our programs combine unique insight into global trends and local needs with a comprehensive approach to design. We encourage participants to conceive and apply transformative strategies based on a crucial synthesis of whole systems thinking, Nature’s fundamental princi-ples, and an ethically driven worldview.

By facilitating convergence across the disciplines of art, science, design and technology, our work extends the profoundly relevant legacy of R. Buckmin-ster Fuller. In this way, we strive to cata-lyze the collective intelligence required to fully address the unprecedented chal-lenges before us.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, founded in 1983.

NOTES

challenge@bfi.orgchallenge.bfi.org/ideaindex

The Buckminster Fuller Institute | 181 N11th St | Suite 402 | Brooklyn, NY 11211T: 718 290 9283 | F: 718 290 9281 | bfi.org

WelcomeNeal Katz, President, Board of Directors of The Buckminster Fuller Institute

Bucky in ChicagoAllegra Fuller Snyder

The Buckminster Fuller ChallengeElizabeth Thompson, Executive Director, The Buckminster Fuller Institute

Statement about the Runner-UpJoshua Arnow, Award Program Committee member

Recognition of Runner-up and RemarksKenny Ausubel and Peter Warshall

Statement about WinnerJoshua Arnow, Award Program Committee member

Presentation of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge PrizeRemarks by MIT Team

TEN MINUTE BREAK

Panel Discussion

moderated by Susan Szenazy, Editor in Chief, Metropolis Magazine Bill Browning Edie Farwell Greg WatsonEND

Reception to immediately follow at The Merchandise Mart, South Lobby

Merchandise Mart222 Merchandise Mart Plz # 470Chicago, IL 60654

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