1. Human Needs and Sustainable Cities: Understanding Systems Gwendolyn Hallsmith City of Montpelier

2. What is a system?

3. Behavior Over Time

4. Feedback

5. Stocks and Flows Water flows in Water flows out

6. Stories, Diagrams, and Leverage Archetype Stories illustrate patterns of behavior Diagrams help describe the underlying system dynamics Leverage points demonstrate effective interventions Change Describe Understand

7. archetypical behaviors  patterns of feedback and response  clues to leverage points  cyclical/holistic cause and effect

8. feedback loops A B B A

9. Linear Behavior Over Time

10. Per Capita and Average Water Consumption: Calgary

11. reinforcing loops + +

12. Exponential Behavior

14. balancing loops

15. Goal-Seeking Behavior

16. Male & Female Life Expectancy in Alberta

17. Exponential/Goal-Seeking

18. Glacial Water Supplies

19. intelligence pays

20. strategic democracy

21. limits to growth

22. fixes that fail

23. worst first

24. shifting the burden

25. Exercise In small groups, discuss which of these patterns of behavior you have observed in your city. Identify one trend that your group can describe in terms of the system that might be working behind it. Based on the systems thinking, what might be some ways you could change the system for the better?