Oi Polloi and partners invite you to participate in a radical placemaking experiment. Part docuseries, part urban regeneration project, Hope Flows Then Grows (HFTG) marks the start of an Olympic Games for community innovation (the Homeric Games). Convening mayors, creative renegades, urban designers, activists, new economists, philosophers, sustainability gurus and more this is a ‘design global, create local’ experiment. The goal? To symbolically unite cities around the world – then shift the western zeitgeist from ‘me’ to ‘we’. From competition to collaboration. And celebrate unity in diversity while we’re at it.

We believe change begins with shared hope. So to start the transformation we’re mobilising urban talent to design a fountain as a universal symbol of abundance – an overflowing of ideas, expression, and art. Our version of the Olympic torch. The fountain will be built and mark the intent to reimagine society from the local level, up.

A fountain in multiple cities around the world will usher in a wave of transformational initiatives. Urban farms will follow, and bring hope to life as a shared food movement. Then, from each location, civic-tech hackathons will invent tools to enable local problem solving. Think of it as a technology of peace, designed to enable prosperity and stability. The more we put into these projects, the more abundance will flow back to us. Hence the fountain is the symbol that kicks this off.

Phase 1: Fountains of Change

An open call inviting creative designs for a fountain symbolising abundance, celebrating the bounty of nature and of human ingenuity. But also encapsulating sustainability and circular economy resource management principles. The local community votes on a design that best represents the unique culture and ethos of the area. Will it harvest run-off water, recycle waste-water – and what shape will it take so as to not imply waste? Once decided, the fountain is built, grounding hope into the real world.

Phase 2: Planting Hope

An urban farm is designed and planted hot on the fountain’s heels – the hope takes root through permaculture practices, community supported agriculture, and a reimagining of public space through circular economy practices. Digital and real life exhibitions follow, exploring the theme of abundance.

Phase 3: Hope Grows

Civic tech hackathons take place to evolve the tools needed to transition from scarcity to abundance societies. Meanwhile progress is documented and shared, on ongoing basis, calling for replication of this project in other urban sites around the country. Each location will evolve its own culturally unique symbol for abundance and complementary farm.

Phase 4: Connect the dots

Reach out to mayors around the world through the Global Covenant of Mayors and C40 cities to replicate the experiment globally. The developing tapestry of cultures will demonstrate it’s possible to maintain uniqueness of culture in a cohesive world – and provide the resilience and critical mass essential to forge an enduring movement.

And beyond: the big picture

Build relationships with progressive cultural institutions to mobilise a new cultural arts movement worldwide. The Olympics for innovation, the Homeric Games, can truly kick off with a year round programme of collaborative competition solving global problems at the local scale (in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals). From here it gets really exciting.

And it all starts with you. In your back yard.

We have already identified some common land in East London where hope can begin to flow, and are actively seeking other locations and municipalities. If you would like to learn more, or join the growing alliance of organisations and municipalities, contact mary@oipolloi.io