LUGAR Project Part 2

....From LUGAR Project Part 1

Moving Forward

Now we move forward.  Through its practice, EnPraxis has advocated a participatory and collaborative approach in Environmental Planning as a way to ‘actualize’ lessons from Forum 1 and actual experiences in various planning projects.  With the lessons from actual practice, EnPraxis explores possibilities of linking Social Entrepreneurship to Environmental Planning- thru LUGAR Social Enterprise. 

What is LUGAR?

LUGAR (Land Use and Green Advocacy Revolution) Project is a start-up Social Enterprise initiated by EnPraxis with the purpose of responding to the social and environmental issues by creating a platform for collaboration between planners, social entrepreneurs and stakeholders to come together and create viable and sustainable partnerships. 

1.  Platform for Planning Collaboration

The concept for LUGAR is inspired from the "Charrette", which refers to any collaborative session in which a group of designers, in this case the community, drafts a solution to a design problem, in this case social issues and problems.  The aim of LUGAR is to bring together innovators in a”Charrette”-inspired environment.

2.  EcoPreneur Incubator

 An EcoPreneur is a non-traditional capitalist that values social, environmental, as well as economic aspects in the holistic development process; a leader, innovator, advocate, entrepreneur and above all, conscientious and responsible vanguard of the principles of Sustainable Development.  LUGAR aims to be a training ground, 'school' and learning venue thru a mentor-apprentice collaboration and sharing environment. 

3.  Showcase of Green Products and Technologies

LUGAR is a platform to showcase ingenuity and innovation in creating green products and technologies and link to the market, while at the same time providing communities, individuals and groups additional means of income by engaging in marketing and selling of these products and technologies.    

Vision for LUGAR

2020 (Global) EcoPreneurs by 2020
  
...and to be able to replicate in different countries, different culture around the world.

 

LUGAR Project Part 1

Background

EnPraxis, an advocacy planning firm, in partnership with UP SURP (University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning), conducted Raison d’être 1: Reflections on the State of Environmental Planning last July 2009. It was a forum that was well-attended by students, academe and Environmental Planning professionals. Its main objective was to discuss issues, opportunities and the future of the profession.  The conclusion was that there are deep gaps between theory, planning and implementation on the ground and this is brought about by various factors, political, technical and lack of purposeful action.  There is a need for ‘change’, innovate, and create.

The Issues that confront us

1. There is a lack of harmonization in our current system of planning in the Philippines, bottom-up and top-down; 
2. Plans are either under-appreciated, unused and shelved, and becomes really more political rather than technical and community-based
3. There is lack of awareness, understanding and thus action and participation from communities, esp in relation to disaster risk preparations, mitigation, adaptation, and on other issues such as garbage, roads and infra, health, among others.
4. There is a lack of innovation, initiative and collaboration in terms of providing possible solutions to the various issues above
   

The Need for Innovation

Today, there are more pressing issues and problems that confront not just Environmental Planners, but moreso society as a whole and have further validated the conclusion of the first forum.  Global warming and Climate Change have been pushing us further to not just respond and adapt, but to innovate.

The question is: How do we transform ideas and advocacy into concrete action?

............continued to Part 2