A proposal for social transformations

When it became clear the complexity of the current conditions in Auroville would not allow the Vastu Shilpa Consultants to be on board to make the Detailed Development Plan for Auroville – which may change if conditions permit – the core team reached out to people holding a wide range of different perspectives to find out what the next step could be. “The positives that emerged from these interactions, “said Mona, “is that there are signs of critical shifts. People are starting to question themselves regarding where things went wrong in the past, and what their role was in this. They did not want to go back to how things were before and there was a movement towards the central ground, for a more collective process, rather than hanging onto radical ideas: people want something more integral.”

She said that while people agreed this is a challenging time because collaborative processes are difficult now, several Aurovilians stated that something should be tried.

Omar remarked that one of the aims of the Dreamweaving experiment was to provide an alternative narrative to the one which was being propagated in some quarters at that time, namely that Aurovilians could not collaborate on a bigger project for the good of Auroville. “We demonstrated that we actually can collaborate on a larger scale and achieve some results. But I don’t think you can convince anybody of our side of the story if they don’t want to be convinced, and I never believed that there is one narrative that has all the truth. Therefore we shifted away from this loop of competing narratives to focus upon possible needed social transformations.  We want to propose a new method or process with a different aim, to push for something more significant.”

Different value systems

As background to their proposal, David explained how they perceive the different dynamics functioning in the community. Basically, they believe that there are three different conflicting value systems. One is the classic governance framework which provides law and order and imposed hierarchy. This corresponds to what Sri Aurobindo described as the ‘conventional age’ of human progress.  

Another value system represents rationality, such as scientific development (Sri Aurobindo’s ‘age of reason’), while a third is much more egalitarian, in which people get more in touch with their inner lives and where there is a greater focus upon the environment etc. (the ‘subjective age’).

Each of these systems, which have operated from the beginning of Auroville, has advantages and disadvantages. But the way they are coexisting at present is what is causing many of the problems because in each value system people who feel passionately about it do not allow dialogue, and so are pulling the community away from the central ground.

David’s thesis is that any activity that tries to integrate these different value systems happens at the centre, and the historical examples he provided of this, the moments when the community came together beyond ideology, were the construction of the main structure of the Matrimandir, as well as the response of the community to both Cyclone Thane and the COVID lockdowns. 

However, he noted that we only managed the latter two as responses to crises. Now, however, our challenge is to choose to inhabit the centre-ground consciously and actively in order to plan our future, even in the midst of the present chaos. As an example, he explained what happened in World War II when members of the British government came together to plan what would happen after the war ended (as detailed in ‘The Beveridge Report’). “It led to a radical transformation of society after the war, but it had been put in place during the war itself. We are suggesting we could do something similar now in Auroville.” 

The idea, he explained, is to create such an energy field in the centre that it will grow and create a dynamic of its own which cannot be ignored by those who are at present pulling the community apart. 

How to do this? David pointed out that because the Dreamweaving Core Team is composed of architects, their proposal is understandably focused upon planning. “Holistic planning never happened in Auroville, so on one level this is a trial to create the conditions for genuine holistic planning. On a deeper level, however, it is social. We are using planning as a tool to make a social change. The goal is social transformation.”

Reflections on Auroville planning

Omar explained how the three different value systems mentioned by David can be reflected in three different emphases in planning in Auroville. There are those who emphasise the value of spiritual symbolism and the occult significance of geometry, those who advocate a very rational planning process, those who value the relationship between the ecosystem and the built environment, and those investigating the relationships between two or three of these approaches. “The best built environment we can imagine is somewhere in the middle and has the qualities of all of them. To achieve this can be difficult yet it is a challenge we need to accept.” 

Omar identified the present divide in planning in Auroville as one side says ‘just build the city’ and the other side says ‘there needs to be proper planning’. This looks like an easy problem to solve; build the city through proper planning. However, he pointed out that some of those representing the side which says ‘build the city’ have practically shown – through decades – sentiments against urban planning processes and methods, possibly because they are concerned that the purity of the original concept could be diluted.  On the other hand, some of those representing the side which says ‘we need proper planning’ have practically shown – through decades – sentiments against urbanism in their constructions, through practicing and supporting models which work against developing any connected urban fabric, possibly because their experiences of modern cities have been negative.  

“What would be an inspiring model,” said Omar, “would be if you could gradually create an urban environment of spiritual symbolism and of varied densities while accepting the challenge of sensibly working with the natural systems. But for this another model of development is needed which challenges both sides.” 

Omar concluded by calling for an end to polarity in regards to Auroville’s urban development, asking the different sides to collaborate on gradually developing the city towards its intended diverse urban densities, textures, woven urban fabrics and ecological system through holistic planning. 

In fact, as David pointed out, the conceptual Galaxy model suggests integrating these approaches, as well as integrating the symbolic, rational and ecological value systems which are dividing us at present. However, “If people try to build this city without proper investigation of how to achieve its complexity, which is happening at present, this will result in them losing the very thing they claim they want to build.”

Mona added that “Acting from a place of fear, they have now taken decisions that are not congruent with what they themselves wanted.”

Omar believes that in order to take a step towards holistic planning we have to expand the area of investigation when it comes to planning our city. “Some of the topics I don’t hear discussed are, What is the meaning of the concept of the city in human civilisation? What does spatial justice mean? What is the relation between values and urban form? What is the relation between urban fabric and experience, and between incremental development and an organic urban model?

“You have to try to understand these things and then take the right steps to achieve a situation in which natural urban development would happen. Anything imposed doesn’t normally work.”

The method

In fact, as the aim is larger social transformations, the method the team is suggesting no longer focuses just upon architects and professionals. 

To achieve this, they propose four interconnected projects to begin with which could happen almost simultaneously and which already have people who are willing to anchor them.

One is Dreamcatching [defined by its organizers as “an open forum for furthering the manifestation of Mother's Dream through the merging of the Galaxy Plan with the ground reality” eds.] This would be open to everyone and the question would be, as a resident of this place what are the values you hold, and how would you like to see them reflected in your experience of the city? The Dreamcatching will have two main aims: Firstly, to broadly align our interpretation of the vision, specifically the experiential aspect of the intended built environment. Secondly, to compose a vital missing chapter in the present planning brief, clarifying how the planned built environment would fit the way of life, the perceptions, ideals etc. of its main intended users, the residents.

Another project aims to create a representative community feedback body that can receive and comment upon planning proposals. It is initially suggested that they be around thirty randomly selected people who would go through an educational process, and who could, if the anchoring team so chooses, be supported by focus groups selected to present different directions in Auroville and/or a panel of experts whose advice would be needed in discussions.

A third group would engage in Dreamweaving. This would be held by and involve the next generation of Auroville architects.  The anchors of the team would decide what the focus will be, but David, Mona and Omar have suggested different possibilities to them: to find creative solutions for all or part of Auroville’s boundary conditions capable of responding to exponentially growing outside pressures, or find ways to transform the Crown into a humane, liveable, walkable street.  

The final project would involve individuals participating in self-education about planning issues. This is for anyone interested in investigating certain topics which are unexplored at present, like what is spatial justice, or what is the meaning of the city?  What is the relation between values and forms of  urban fabric? What are the advantages and challenges of density and diversity? What is the value of access and connectivity in a built environment? Or, how can a street or a neighborhood fit its users? 

The idea is to create small groups, each of which would take up one topic. They would be given some resources, and after a few months they could present what they have learned to the larger community. In this way, the community could become very much part of an informed planning process.

The four projects would be interconnected by a group which would go from team to team, keeping each one informed of the most interesting ideas which have emerged. “The connecting tissue,” says David, “is where the magic can happen”. 

Each of the four projects plus the ‘interconnection group’ would choose someone either from their own group or beyond, to form another group. Described by Omar as “a centre which is not so central”, these would be people of certain qualities: like someone with the capacity to listen and absorb, or to bring interesting ideas, or bring peace and good vibes or a sense of wisdom.

Above all, people who do not want to be in this position and who will have to be convinced to come forward!” 

This group would ultimately help the groups move together towards larger solutions pertaining to the overall organisation. 

The team which is proposing this method emphasizes that they are not fixed upon just four projects because there are so many other interesting things happening in Auroville at present which could contribute to social transformation. This is why they say it’s important to keep it very open and very flexible and listen to what people feel about this.

They are also under no illusion as to the magnitude of the challenge. Mona identified one of these challenges as the inability to get the Tamil population to join our collective explorations. Even at that day’s meeting, she observed, there were very few of them present. “Why is that? Is it because these are not the right forums for them to feel comfortable to speak up? Do we need to develop different methods to get them on board?”

“Also, we have no executive power, so we cannot stop what is happening at present in Auroville,” says David. “But we are trying to increase our proactive power and critical mass so that nobody will be able to stop it. However, we acknowledge that a huge amount of magic and grace is required to make it work.”

If it does ‘work’, however, if the community comes together to agree upon its values and what it wants to achieve, the next step would be to pair this multifaceted participatory process with an external multidisciplinary consultancy of the highest qualifications, “because,” as David put it, “we need these experts also to give their professional inputs and eventually draw up the plans”.

Meanwhile, the Dreamweaving Core Team, which has held this process for more than a year, announced that, while they will remain connected, they are dissolving into this larger process that will generate its own core team, its centre. “This proposal is our best shot,” said David. “If it works it’s fantastic. If it doesn’t, we are out of ideas and someone else can pick it up.” 

In conclusion, and as a summary of what they are trying to do, David quoted Roger Anger from a 1972 TV interview. Roger clarified that Auroville will not follow the example of Brasilia, where the city was constructed first and only then people were invited to come and live in it. 

“If the people who come for this profession of faith are not able to build their own environment, this would mean that Auroville is a failure. It is essential that it is built on the basis of individual experience… Here people live the experience and it is starting from this experience that their conditions, their environment, their lifestyle, will be established and created.”

Notes by Alan