We the Publics… Resources

Sweet Water Foundation is providing open access to all We the Publics...exhibition materials, along with an evolving set of resources to promote participatory research, learning explorations, and, most importantly, action that leads to the Regenerative Neighborhood Development across communities near and far.  

We the Publics...from Bounded Rationality to Unbounded Possibilities is a catalytic assemblage of art, artifacts, and history exploring the many facets and dimensions of the publics and public trust. For over a decade Sweet Water Foundation’s work has been in the service of cultivating neighborhoods as we live our motto, “There GROWS the Neighborhood.” We the Publics.... shares the collective works and perspective of the Sweet Water Foundation community to provoke a reframing and reclaiming of the ‘Publics’ for all.

We invite you to explore the resources below. As a living installation, the resources listed on this page will continue to evolve. Please check back regularly. If you’re interested in visiting the exhibit in-person, visit the exhibit page to make a reservation for a time during our open exhibit hours. Email us at info@sweetwaterfoundation.com with any other questions.

About the Exhibit

We the Publics...from Bounded Rationality to Unbounded Possibilities is a catalytic assemblage of art, artifacts, and history exploring the many facets and dimensions of the publics and public trust.  The exhibit consists of the four sections detailed below: 

1. Introduction | Outlines the history of the exhibit, examines notions of the “publics,” and introduces the We the Publics… manifesto.

2. [Re]Constructing Public Memory | In the spirit of Sankofa, the exhibit looks back at the deep, historical contexts of the erosion of public trust in the United States in order to pave a new way forward.  This section of the exhibit offers a detailed historical timeline that spans two scales: national across the United States and local to Chicago.

3. Bounded Rationality | Identifies and examines the underlying paradigm, or mindset, through which our society continually prioritizes economic value through policies and practices at the expense of people and planet. 

4. Unbounded Possibilities | Invites visitors to imagine a new way forward via exploration of the unbounded possibilities of Sweet Water Foundation’s practice of Regenerative Neighborhood Development and the real-life model of The Commonwealth.

How to Navigate Resources

A portfolio of We the Publics… resources has been organized into the categories outlined below. We welcome your suggestions for additional resources and look forward to your feedback and participation.

• Take a Virtual Tour | Explore the entire We the Publics… exhibit via a virtual, 3D Matterport tour. 

• Access Exhibition Boards | view and/or download the exhibition boards below.

• Explore Educational References and Resources | Educators, students, and learners of all ages are encouraged to dive deeper into the We the Publics… exhibit.  Four key exploration areas are provided below, each of which offers a portfolio of resources and Key Questions +Discovery Prompts.

• Uncover History through further exploration of  the We the Publics…   [Re]Constructing Public Memory timeline

• Examine the Current Urban Context and Unpack Bounded Rationality through critical analysis and reflection on the paradigm, or lens, through which our society makes its social, economic, and political decisions and how we spend/expend human, financial, and natural resources. 

• Uncover the Solutions Hidden in Plain Sight by examining resources that challenge how we think about waste and exploring the possibilities of Transforming ‘Wastes to Resources’

• Break Through the Old Paradigm and Imagine a New Way Forward by examining SWF’s practice of Regenerative Neighborhood Development and the living demonstration provided by The Commonwealth

Exhibition Boards

Access to all We the Publics… exhibition boards are available below. Click the center for full-screen viewing.

We the Publics… Manifesto

The We the Publics… manifesto is a response to the steady erosion of the Publics over the last century that has, today, accelerated at warp speed. The manifesto calls for the protection, restoration, and reclamation of the Publics as being paramount not only to American democracy, but also to a healthy life on our planet.

Read the full manifesto here — and identify what elements you see as vital to [re]storing a healthy Public.

Uncovering History | [Re]Constructing Public Memory

Sankofa, an Akan-Twi word that communicates the importance of taking time to reach back and retrieve what is at risk of being forgotten, calls for us to look back in order to move forward. The resources below piece together historical events that have been instrumental to the development of our society and that of the United States, but that have far too often been left out or covered up. Through [re]constructing our public memory, we build a collective truth of how these histories have led us to now so that we can respond to the challenges of the present with actions and solutions that are contextualized in history.

Below you will find texts, articles, links, and guides to resources that contribute to the [re]construction of public memory from the Doctrine of Discovery in 1493 to the COVID-19 Pandemic we are navigating today. These resources span two scales: 1) the national history and present of the United States and 2) the more localized history of Chicago, where The Commonwealth is based. These historical events, and their supporting resources,  highlight the logic and process by which land and people were stolen for the commoditization of resources, the policies and practices have led to and continue to reinforce the segregation of people and the unequal distribution of resources, and examples of how many people have organized to fight against the logic and practices of supremacy and domination. 

Uncovering these histories shows how the public trust, on which democracy depends, has never been realized -- and calls for us to work together to [re]imagine and [re]build the publics. 

KEY QUESTIONS + DISCOVERY PROMPTS

• Which historical events presented in the timeline were you aware of? Which historical events, laws, policies, and/or practices were new to you? When and where did you learn (or not learn) these histories?  Which historical events should be elevated in our collective memory and shared broadly to help restore public trust?  

• History is the seed for the present. Looking to the present, what are examples of current relationships, practices, and/or policies that build from history? What impact do they have on our society? 

• What are examples of how people have worked together to organize meaningful and inclusive solutions to the context in which they are in? 

• What other aspects of history would you add to the timeline? 

RELEVANT We the Publics… EXHIBIT BOARDS TO REVIEW

• Review the Sankofa Board

• Review the [Re]Constructing Public Memory Timeline (PDF) or dive into an interactive version of the timeline.

• Review the Void of Public Trust Board



ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO EXPLORE

Examining the Current Urban Context | Unpacking Bounded Rationality

Chicago, like many cities, is facing multi-layered crises -- the reality of climate change, the ongoing societal costs resulting from the hollowing out of neighborhoods, and the rising cost of living in the city. While the reality of life in Chicago requires a grounded and rooted response, Chicago continues to invest in more of the same --  multi-million and -billion dollar real estate developments with a promise of “affordable housing” and economic “development”, along with increased police funding with a promise for safety and security. Meanwhile, quality housing, food, education, and security remain unavailable for many families And, thus, the cycle of broken promises and the crumbling of public trust continues, compromising the future of our city. 

Not only must we [re]construct public memory to understand how we got to now, we must also unpack the dominant mindset and worldview - the bounded rationality - that allows us to continue investing in solutions that squander limited human, financial, and natural resources to our collective future. Read below to learn more about the bounded rationality of our current urban context and its impacts on the City of Chicago. 

KEY QUESTIONS + DISCOVERY PROMPTS

• Explore the concept of bounded rationality.  How can bounded rationality be useful? harmful? What are other examples of bounded rationality?  

• Explore the concept of externalities. What are the externalities (the side effects or consequences) resulting from the bounded rationality of traditional economic development and growth that drive how our society uses its human, financial, and natural resources?  Externalities may be time, money, natural resources, health, and/or other costs and impacts. 

• Measuring Success via a Single or Triple Bottom Line.  How do we define “success”? What measures are used by today’s civic and business leaders, policymakers, and other key leaders to determine whether policies and investments are “successful?”  Beyond economic and financial impacts (costs and profits), what other impacts are measured? Are non-financial impacts given equal weight in decision-making? 

• If we look beyond financial and economic measures of success, how else might we define success? What tools and measures could be used to more accurately understand the impact of policies, practices, and decisions?

• If we were to re-invest the resources currently allocated to bounded rationality, how could they be used to realize important solutions within our society? 

  
  

RELEVANT We the Publics… EXHIBIT BOARDS TO REVIEW

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO EXPLORE

Explore and Critique Recent City of Chicago City and Neighborhood Plans

Below is a list of neighborhood and city plans developed by the City of Chicago. How and where is bounded rationality reflected in city plans? What is the center motivation identified in each of these plans? Do commercial interests come first or the needs of people? What is the process for developing each plan? Who is involved? How might we re-imagine the planning process to go beyond the bounds of rationality to realize effective solutions? 

• Plan of Chicago (1909) | Prepared Under the Direction of The Commerical Club, by Daniel H Burnham and Edward H Bennett.

• Chicago 21: A Plan for Central Area Communities (1973) | Prepared by consultants: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Real Estate Research Corporation, and Alan M Voorhees & Associates, Inc.

• Chicago Housing Authority Plan for Transformation (2000)

• Green Healthy Neighborhoods (2014) | Led by Chicago Department of Planning and Development

• INVEST South/West (2019) | Led by Chicago Department of Planning and Development

Uncovering Solutions Hidden in Plain Sight | Transforming ‘Wastes to Resources’

In Chicago, bounded rationality has left vast swaths of the South and West Sides of the city littered with waste. Food deserts, construction and development waste, vacant land and abandoned homes, and un- and under-employed people are but a few of the countless negative externalities of the bounded rationality of economic growth. 

To break through the old paradigm and forge a new way forward, we must reexamine the notion of “waste” to uncover accessible solutions hiding in plain sight. Sweet Water Foundation’s practice of Regenerative Neighborhood Development shows how many of the so-called “wastes” around us can be transformed into resources capable of fueling neighborhood development. 

The resources below provide a guide for rethinking wastes by digging deeper into how two so-called wastes - vacant land and construction material waste - can become valuable community resources.

KEY QUESTIONS + DISCOVERY PROMPTS

• What so-called “wastes” are present within cities that could be [re]imagined or [re]used? 

• How might vacant land be reimagined as an asset for communities, especially those subjected to food apartheid? 

• Examine “green building,” “sustainable development,” and associated certifications such as LEED.  Are material wastes, such as the pallets used to ship windows, metal, and glass accounted for?  What is the starting point for green building and sustainable development standards and processes? Do they allow for questioning whether a building should be constructed in the first place (e.g., do we need another luxury high rise in Chicago) given our collective limited resources and growing numbers of unhoused families?   

RELEVANT We the Publics… EXHIBIT BOARDS TO REVIEW

• Review the From Wastes to Resources - Seeds of Regeneration Board

• Review the From Wastes to Resources - Built Environment Wastes Board

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO EXPLORE

Neighborhood Food Systems

Learn about the realities of the food system and food insecurity in Chicago, examine educational resources and proposals for transforming food apartheid to food sovereignty, and explore how Sweet Water Foundation has utilized vacant, public land to address not only food access but also a myriad of issues present in our food systems.

Material “Waste” of Traditional Neighborhood and Economic Development

Material wastes are rationalized into many daily practices within our society. Would-be resources are designed for single-uses without care to the full investment and possibility of material lifecycles. In Chicago, this means that in 2020, more than 4 million tons of wastes went to landfills. Explore the links below to understand the problems and possibilities of materials wastes in our cities. 

Breaking through the Old Paradigm | Imagining the Unbounded Possibilities of Regenerative Neighborhood Development

Sweet Water Foundation’s practice of Regenerative Neighborhood Development (RND) is deeply rooted in theory and grounded in the values of the Essential Economy.  RND is accessible, inclusive, and eco-logical. For a fraction of the cost of many of the so-called “equitable development” initiatives underway nationwide, Regenerative Neighborhood Development results in the production of locality that defies any generic formulaic approach to neighborhood and economic development. It moves beyond the bounds of economic rationality and allows for unbounded possibilities for We the Publics.

Sweet Water Foundation invites you to explore the resources below and The Commonwealth (in-person or virtually) to witness a powerful, living demonstration of a new way forward capable of releasing the Publics from the bounded rationality in which we are entrenched. 

KEY QUESTIONS + DISCOVERY PROMPTS

• Why are “proximity, lived experience, consistent and daily presence over time, and hands-on labor” stated as requirements and preconditions to the practice of Regenerative Neighborhood Development?

• How are Sweet Water Foundation’s values of the Essential Economy embodied within Regenerative Neighborhood Development? 

• Explore and imagine solutions through the lens of a new economic paradigm rooted in the Essential Economy.  How would we be investing human, financial, and natural resources to address food insecurity, housing, education, and crime? 

RELEVANT We the Publics… EXHIBIT BOARD TO REVIEW

• Review the Emergence of The Commonwealth Board

• Review the Unbinding the Possibilities Board and each of the transformations highlighted in the exhibit: From Vacant Lots to Public Park, From Vacant Lots to Public Work-shop, From Foreclosed Home to Public School, From ‘Zombie’ Property to Public Arts Center, and From Vacant House to Public Gallery

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO EXPLORE

Regenerative Neighborhood Development

Learn about Sweet Water Foundation’s practice of Regenerative Neighborhood Development and the values of the Essential Economy.

Emergence of The Commonwealth

Essential Texts and Sources of Inspiration

We the Publics… is inspired and informed by the wisdom of many different people. A few of the Core Texts referenced in We the Publics… and sources of inspiration that have informed the emergence of The Commonwealth are shared below with links to FREE PDF versions where available.