Villages
Villages have an almost magical quality to them. People have organized themselves into villages for thousands of years. Those whose structures remain have the ability to transport us in time, just by their mere existence. But villages have not disappeared. They are still a basic building block of human civilization. Great Britain alone has over 10,000 villages!
What can we learn from this enduring way of life?
Can we imagine a future with the things we love about modern society
grounded in the things that have kept humanity happy, sheltered and fed for eons?
Can we go beyond imagination and start living our best lives -together, the villaging way?
The Village Archetype
Elements to inspire modern villaging
01
Human Scale
A typical village is designed to be walked. Not because an urban planning study recommends it,. Not because a marketing study shows that is what people want. But, for the obvious reason, walking was the primary way people got around.
But there is a less obvious reason to embrace the human scale- it makes people feel good.
This is why villaging takes place at the neighborhood level- a real place that we can easily walk around.
​
02
Land
Villages are designed with the land that supports the people. Farmland, grazing land, and the wild commons are part of the community. For most of history people needed direct access to all three for the materials of life.
This is why the suburbs is a natural place for villaging, with so much land integrated into the neighborhoods.
But even if you are not surrounded by land, you can build connections to any piece of land within walking distance, no matter how small, even a potted plant!
03
Production
A village is NOT just housing. It is a place where people produce the things they need. Food is grown. Bread is baked. Clay and wood and fabric become pots and chairs and clothes.
Today a complex supply chain run by corporations provides us with more goods than we can use. The fact that we still carry on the making of things, points to our intrinsic need to be makers.
Villaging skills are satisfying and could be useful in times of crisis.
​
04
Interdependence
Villagers depended on the land, weather, animals and each other for survival. They protected those things because it was clear they needed them.
Each person has some contribution to the whole, and is valued for it. The most important indicator for long life- being a valued part of a community!
Villaging gives us a chance to build relationships based on the doing of things. They may not be necessary for survival, at this time, but they allow us to be seen and valued.
Equity
While medieval villages can inspire us, we also know that villages, in the past and present, can also be places of poverty.
As we seek to re-connect with the best of this ancient way of life, we face with humility the fact that we have much to learn from current villagers.
We have the opportunity to explore what is essential to happiness and how our choices affect those around the world.
Hopefully, out experiment with villaging will open our minds to the possibility that the answer to the poverty of villages is not urbanization. As we learn to respect the Way of the Village, we can support a world where villagers can maintain their way of life, while sharing in the benefits of modern society.
