Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
In Sacred Civics: Building Seven Generation Cities, Jayne Engle and Tanya Chung-Tiam-Fook assemble visions for how spirituality and sacred values are essential for reimagining how we live, organize and govern ourselves, determine and distribute wealth, inhabit and design cities, and construct relationships with others and nature. Join us for a discussion with Jayne and Tanya on what it looks like to design for the next seven generations. Optional: read Sacred Civics: Building Seven Generation Cities in print or open access!
Key Insights
-
•
Sacred civics calls for holistic urban planning that integrates spiritual, ecological, and social dimensions.
-
•
The seven generation principle urges decision-makers to consider impacts on people seven generations into the future.
-
•
Hybrid governance models can bridge existing government institutions with innovative, participatory civic assemblies.
-
•
Cities are key sites for transformational change, often overlooked in global climate and energy discussions.
-
•
Current governmental institutions are largely structured around colonial logics and short-termism, necessitating systemic reform.
-
•
Participatory social infrastructure enables marginalized communities to exercise agency in shaping their environments.
-
•
Networks of cities provide political cover and shared learning opportunities to advance long-term sustainability principles.
-
•
Indigenous prophecies and philosophies offer profound guidance for contemporary urban and environmental stewardship.
-
•
Innovative projects like micro treaties with the Earth and food forest construction exemplify seven generation thinking in action.
-
•
Legal frameworks like the Wales Act embed sustainable development as an organizing principle for governments.
Notable Quotes
"We are all multitudes of identities and experiences, far beyond what any screen can show."
"Cities are not at the heart of global climate discussions, yet they hold tremendous opportunity for change."
"Sacred civics requires us to hold higher order accountabilities to ecosystems and future generations."
"The seventh generation principle calls for long-term decision making that transcends self-interest."
"Hybrid governance models could include civic assemblies that represent future generations, led by a mayor for the future."
"Participatory social infrastructure must be radically inclusive, decolonizing, and generative for communities to flourish."
"Proofs of possibility, not just experiments, are essential to demonstrate viable pathways for systemic transformation."
"The path of the eagle is technological growth without wisdom, while the condor represents spiritual respect for life."
"Groupings and networks of cities create political cover and co-learning spaces necessary for innovation."
"We need to hospice and compost broken systems to transition toward regenerative, people-driven urban futures."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We have over 140,000 IBMers who’ve completed design thinking online training."
Doug PowellClosing Keynote: Design at Scale
November 8, 2018
"Power dynamics exist in every session. People don’t want to be embarrassed or feel put on the spot."
Mila Kuznetsova Lucy DentonHow Lessons Learned from Our Youngest Users Can Help Us Evolve our Practices
March 9, 2022
"The mayor wanted to shrink the neighborly bonds that the city was known for by investing in a 2030 living Monument of collaboration and community."
Sarah GallimoreInspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future
November 18, 2022
"Junior team members don’t have to talk directly to executives; working effectively with peers can create grassroots buy-in."
Lada Gorlenko Sharbani Dhar Sébastien Malo Rob Mitzel Ivana Ng Michal Anne RogondinoTheme 1: Discussion
January 8, 2024
"We created an AI persona called Dreamweaver to answer real-time team capacity and project questions."
Alnie FigueroaThe Future of Design Operations: Transforming Our Craft
September 10, 2025
"Driver modeling tells you which research initiatives matter most based on their impact on key outcome metrics."
Landon BarnesAre My Research Findings Actually Meaningful?
March 10, 2022
"When you’re talking, it’s easier to learn something new, but if you’re shy and don’t talk, you don’t learn anything."
Emily EagleCan't Rewind: Radio and Retail
June 3, 2019
"No two re-platforming journeys are exactly the same, and there isn't one single formula that works every time."
Malini RaoLessons Learned from a 4-year Product Re-platforming Journey
June 9, 2021
"Product managers mean business — they have their hands in multiple pots long before designers join the team."
Asia HoePartnering with Product: A Journey from Junior to Senior Design
November 29, 2023
