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Umair Haque's Manifesto on Smart Growth
Apr 16, 2009

Umair Haque [pictured above] contends that,
"20th century economies are limited to unsustainable, unfair, brittle, dumb growth. Smart growth is more sustainable, equitable, and resilient".
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20th CENTURY GROWTH WAS DUMB
Adapted from the blog by Matt Strand, pictured at right 
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It was refreshing to read recently some musings from UMAIR HAQUE, the director of the HAVAS MEDIA LAB www.havasmedialab.com.
--Suburbs are smart in creating wealth, but dumb in creating community.
--Gas guzzling cars are smart in creating wealth, but dumb in supporting intelligent transportation infrastructure.
--Cheap consumer goods are smart in creating wealth, but dumb in creating products of lasting value.
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Haque suggests four pillars of smart growth... 
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1. OUTCOMES, NOT INCOMES
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Smart growth is about people, and how much better or worse off they are - not merely how much junk an economy can churn out. Smart growth measures people's outcomes - not just their incomes.
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2. CONNECTIONS, NOT TRANSACTIONS
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Dumb growth looks at what's flowing through the pipes of the global economy: the volume of trade. Smart growth looks at how pipes are formed, and why some pipes matter more than others: the quality of connections.
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3. PEOPLE, NOT PRODUCT
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The next time you hear an old dude talking about "product", let him know the 20th century ended a decade ago. Smart growth isn't driven by pushing product, but by the skill, dedication, and creativity of people.
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4. CREATIVITY, NOT PRODUCTIVITY
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Smart growth focuses on economic creativity - because creativity is what lets us know that competition is creating new value, instead of just shifting old value around.
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Matt continues: What is striking about Haque’s analysis is that discussions of economic growth are often limited to the stock market or the strength of the GDP. He suggests that we need to acquire a deeper understanding of what growth means, what wealth means and, ultimately, where we place value. The demand upon leaders to understand the implications of working within a completely new set of rules should not be underestimated. It is my hope that leaders will heed Haque’s sensibility and seriously reflect upon creating “solutions” that will not end up being tomorrow’s problems.
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If Umair's ideas intrigue you, you can join him, and 600 innovators, including futurist and economic iconoclast Hazel Henderson and "Slow Money" author Woody Tasch in conference about the future of wealth at Sustainable Brands '09!
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--Umair Haque's original post is here: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/haque 
--MATT STRAND, is lead consultant for JUNXION STRATEGY
--SUSTAINABLE BRANDS CONFERENCE (May 31 to June 4, 2009 Monterey, Ca).
--Sustainable Brands '09 Conference Blog...
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Posted: Apr 16, 2009 1:29am

 
 
 
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