The 2002 Prophecy

At the time, in 2002, property markets were positively booming - and that was just the problem...

Looking back historically in terms of Building Studies, every boom led to bust - repeatedly...

BUT, the figures at the turn of the 21st Century were quite unlike those historical figures for all previous recessions.

Our lecturer prophesied that the (21st C) recession would come in two waves.

He didn't know exactly when they would hit the world economy - but he did know that they would - and, the longer it was between the 2002 prophecy and the first wave of global recession hitting, the bigger the enormity of the total sum of all the debts surmounted.

AND - IF all the governments ALL bailed out the bankers in the first wave of the recession, WITHOUT putting caveats in place to ensure a cap to the sale of debts, (it would begin again - with yet more debts mounting onto the total sum of the Global Government's Combined debts....

SO, when the second wave of recession hit, basically "GOD HELP US ALL".

The Conservative party's damning failures in Human Rights were already monumental - especially damning self-employed, freelancers, sole-traders, and entrepreneurs with small and micro enterprises, (profit and non-profit), and other excluded groups - single mothers, (especially prejudiced against, along with travellers and gypsies, Romanies, van-dwellers, ethnic and religious minorities, and anyone else that 'didn't fit the bill'.

Excluded groups appeared to be swept under the carpets in number 10 Downing Street, and The House of Commons - an ironic title, since no actual Commoners themselves ever seem represented by the people they pay their taxes to, who are paid to represent their constituents, (but don't), for example: Keith Simpson - when conservative for Broadland.

When the second wave hit - it would be the combined total global governmental sum of debt added up by ALL the previous debts ever created by the bankers.

The debt would be SO mountainous - due to the fact that valuations had been held up to their exceeding values - propped up on scaffolding, made of nothing more than paper.

The foundations of this building (frenzy) of over-development, of over-demand on irreplaceable planetary resources, (added to the political wealth of planetary pollution, with years of denials to the dangers of pollution on peoples, plants, and planet).

In short, the stock-exchange run by The City and brokers, has over-inflated values of everything, (if it didn't, it wouldn't make money).

But really - what IS money - what IS the value of a piece of land, or a property, a shelter from the elements, or a few digits on a screen?

One third of the UK population was unable to work as of retirement age, or unwell, or not able to work for a variety of reasons, one third of the UK population was unable to work because they were under-age minors, children and babies.

This left one third of all British taxpayers to pick up the bankers tab - yet again - and without the protection of the government. Prices were soaring, but wages weren't keeping abreast.

WWII was supposed to be' the turning point' in terms of 'Human Rights' - in fact the twentieth century was one of significant change in that arena, as women's rights were only just given back to women (after approximately 2,000 years) - after the Suffragettes finally wrought change, or at least, women in the west finally got the human right to vote.

So, designers in the lecture room at the time, were encouraged to think outside the box - because, when the second wave of recession hit, people's rights (Human Rights) would be left completely excluded.

There simply would not be enough taxpayers funding left to cover the costs of running all the NHS Hospitals, all the schools and colleges, all the dentists, Libraries, Emergency Services, and non-profit organisations upon which so many people in the UK were already dependent upon for FREE support (as part of their welfare rights).

After WWII there was also a similar housing crisis - people were homeless and the costs of war were never ending.

Historically, people either built their own (eco) homes, or - as in WWII - were provided with temporary accommodation, and flat-packed chalets, (some of which still stand today).

Slowly over time, Local Authorities provided more permanent rental accommodation to their residents, and Council Housing was offered for low-cost secure rental for tenants.

We looked at the implications since the Council Housing sell-off (under conservative government), and the take-over from councils supply of housing, to Housing Associations, (most of which appear corporate in their administration, which differs little over some private landlords treatment of tenants).

In a housing crisis - with cuts to welfare state funds - who would actually qualify for emergency housing? (And how could it be provided?)

There would also be another problem too – and that was finding the land.

In terms of building and property speculators, any brown-field site available is a potential investment, due to the fact that the site has already been granted planning consents for the former building or buildings, and planning consents for the speculator’s development are pretty much guaranteed.

In effect, it would be difficult to find any site for truly affordable and sustainable housing – IF the land was guaranteed planning, (and the bidding war for any such land just kept on pushing its value ever skywards).

People would need to know how to build (without necessarily having money) – we were mentored in what sort of ecological construction would be most feasible, given all these circumstances.

This was most particularly so, since the worst effects of climate change would hit government without the funding to protect their communities, (even if a government was in power that DID actually care for its constituents and taxpayers more than the conservative party)!

In turn, this led to the designs for Ark social enterprises - by Eco-Designs.co.uk – which stemmed from a vision I had in the lecture room at the time our lecturer was explaining to the uninitiated about the basis of Earth Sciences, Geology, and what the world was about to be hit with monumentally.

As an environmentalist since I was a child (a lifetime ago), I didn’t need to listen to the facts and the stats I already knew and had been petitioning campaigning for change for anyway – instead, I saw a very (VERY) dark and gloomy vision for the whole of humanity…

I saw the vision for the need for Arks for people without money – at most risk – of flooding, exclusion, poverty, child poverty, homelessness, and more.

The best exemplar our lecturer could think of – in terms of the best ecological and sustainable design solutions, and to inspire our own designs – was www.cat.org.uk

The Centre for Alternative Technology – Canolfan y Dechnoleg Amgen – EcoVillage has been the inspiration for many designers and intentional EcoVillage (type) communities, and has taught many through the educational courses taught there.

EcoVillages network across the UK – from CAT and Lammas EcoVillages, to Tinkers Bubble, the Hockerton Housing Project, the Earthship EcoVillage Fife, and Findhorn EcoVillage in Scotland, (and that’s just to name a few)!

It goes to prove that we don’t have to live like this – in concrete boxes – it IS possible to live sustainably, ecologically, ethically, and happily in an EcoVillage (type) community settlement.

We first formed proposals for TAP the Tree ARK Project intentional showcase EcoVillage (type) ARK (type) Eco Community in 2008.

The proposals have been formed over the years for a number of different sites, for an eight acre site, a two acre site, a five acre site, as well as a 250 acre site, and a twelve-fifteen acre site, and, on any site, we would effectively propose to build an ARK type EcoVillage type community development with the intentional eco community.

“Floating and Moveable Eco Homes and EcoVillage (type) communities in Flood Risk Zones, Could Solve The Housing Crisis Practically Overnight”

As a social enterprise, we aimed to help as many self-employed, sole traders, freelancers, and other excluded groups, to build their own affordable eco-homes and EcoVillage type communities - knowing what was coming, we knew there would be thousands, if not millions of self-employed, freelancers, sole-traders, and entrepreneurs with small and micro businesses (with and without dependents), that could be in dire need of help.

People with irregular incomes have always had problems in the UK - especially is situations where the self-employed person is a single head-of household and the only wage earner, (and without any other form of support).

There has never (ever) been any form of a support net for anyone in this situation - especially in times of recession, war, or pandemic - but also, (as we found to our considerable costs), the self-employed don't even have any consumer rights, civil rights or human rights, (and this was discovered over the winter of our discontent 2012-2013, and onwards to date 2022 too)! - But that is another entire story in itself!!