Dar es Salaam: The Place to Be “Living the New Economy”

Background Information

Dar es Salaam: The Place to Be “Living the New Economy”

Connecting Local Concerns with Global Opportunities

What is the “New Economy”?

The use the term ‘new economy’ started in the late 1990s to describe high-tech tools such as internet and associated applications which had begun to penetrate the consumer and business market place. It describes new, high-growth industries on the cutting edge of technology which appears as a driving force of mainstream economic growth.

In this same period the failure of conventional economic growth to deliver against personal social, cultural and ecological needs led to the re-appraisal of the fundamental concepts the underpin conventional economics. Charles Eisenstein, widely acknowledged for his studies of money and economics, proposed the ‘gift’ economy. He noted that materials, labor and skills are shared unconditionally in the gift economy without any explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards. This in stark contrast to the conventional economy where prices for the supply and demand of goods and services are largely predetermined and the supply of service always reciprocated by supply of the reward in equal measures.

In present times combination of the gift and new economies can be seen in a spectrum of practical and popular measures such as Freecycle, Streetbank, Time Banks, Crowdfunding, Open Source Software, Car Sharing, Couchsurfing, Community Currencies, Community Supported Agriculture etc.

‘Living the new economy’ describes the lifestyle choice in which the new/gift economy is incorporated into urban life. Many of its ideas and practical solutions are welcomed by those who are concerned about the health of the biosphere or their personal, community or regional economy.

Rationale

According to the UK Government’s Chief Scientist, John Beddington, we will be in a world that will be demanding 50% more energy, 50% more food, 30% more water and this against a background of far greater climate variability and change.

By 2030, 6 out of every 10 people will live in a city and by 2050 this proportion will increase to 7 out of 10 people, Since cities are made up of people few things impact our social and mental health more than money or the lack of money, exploring ideas for different dimensions and approaches to the economy is key to the diversity, sustainable prosperity and health of any community.

Many people are struggling to make the transition from current forms of employment to new ways of sustaining themselves financially that are more in alignment with their personal values such as environmental and cultural sustainability, social equity and spiritual wisdom.

Project Goals:

The project will help stakeholders answer questions such as

“Where do I fit into the new economy?”

“What steps do I take to get there?” and

“How, as an entrepreneur, can I thrive using new economic principles and practices?”

The project is based on the Salama Heritage Ecovillage (SHE) Tanzania, Dar es Salaam Urban Regeneration Association (DURA) Program for the city of Dar es Salaam for the next five years (2016- 2021).

The Goals of DURA are to:

Better understand Dar es Salaam’s energy and resource needs; Champion the development of health, sustainable and practical ways to live and work within the New Economy; Develop a design framework that could support the development of new economy Showcase the Dar es Salaam’s innovative practices and successions in social and environmental entrepreneurship; Partner with organizations and individuals, who support a shift toward a new economy to,

Elevate awareness of the opportunities offered by the New Economy; provide a platform for the inclusion discussion, cooperation and collaboration, networking and testing of new ideas; identify emerging trends and opportunities in the future.

Target Groups

General public, local government officials, cooperative enterprises, social and environmental entrepreneurs, inventors, economists, business managers, students, urban planners, sustainability professionals, unemployed, underemployed, misemployed

Participation

SHE Tanzania wishes to bring people together across Dar es Salaam under the DURA Program to organize town hall events. The aim is to provide access to skill-building workshops and activities as well as exclusive access to significant networking opportunity. Payment to participate in DURA event would be made in community currency (Salamite Shillings), time or gift.

Updates:

To keep up to date with the developments, please:

Visit the website: https://www.worldpulse.com/en/my-pulse/profile

Facebook group: https://web.facebook.com/Great-Salamites-447200245404991/?ref=bookmarks

Send an email to shetanzania2015@gmail.com

Contact:

DURA Coordinator @ shetanzania2015@gmail.com

Tel: +255 683756729