The Village
Change does not come alone — it takes a village. This space gathers the field we are part of: partners, funders, and fellow practitioners working toward new practices and paradigms. Here, we amplify the good work of others and host reflections, interviews, and shared pieces of design work and writing that show how our collective strength grows through relationships, a multitude of intelligences, and governing together. If you’re up for co-developing new work with us, here are a few incredible and trusted peers whose critical thoughts have contributed greatly and made all of our work stronger. We list them here not in order of magnitude, but in the order of the English alphabet. This list will continue to grow as we move forward on this journey.
How Others Resonate With Governing Together
“Psychological safety, or being able to speak openly, admit mistakes and ask questions, isn’t a ‘nice to have’ in this context. It's the only way we break out of that fear-driven cycle and start to work in a way that works with and meaningfully helps the communities we serve. Governing Together captures a very personal tension which many in local government will recognise but which is rarely fully recognised: between the ambition to serve local places well, and the everyday realities of working within systems shaped by constraint, pressure and risk. It reminds me that more relational, intelligent decision-making is possible, but that this requires change to not just the hard constraints – regulation, funding, and political cycles – but also the psychological and cultural factors that sit below the surface of all of our interactions. It points the way towards how the relationships we have across local government, and with the residents, businesses, voluntary organisations, education institutions and healthcare providers that make up our places, could be gradually rebuilt based on mutual trust, rather than fear or control.”
—Eleri Thomas
“For my work on climate action at the Centre for Public Impact, this research reiterates the centrality of curiosity, openness and sensemaking when engaging with cities. It reinforces that we are on a valuable path but has also inspired me to be more complete in all of the different facets we explore with our city partners. Governing Together’s boldness that traditional models of training are not the answer resonate with our experience that we need deep engagement with mindsets, beliefs and values to bring about systemic climate action. Governing Together is a 360 degree exploration of the factors affecting collective action, especially in urban spaces. The research dances nimbly between multiple aspects of this deep challenge: the quality of decisions, mobilising people, building trust, reframing narratives. It brings together threads of relationality, narrative change, leadership, psychological safety, trauma-informed practice, imagination and cities as sites of change to illustrate the multiple strands we need to address to enable human flourishing. It moves between the empowerment of the individual and the systemic influences on societies. While the ideas are expansive, the authors’ consistent commitment to explaining words, terms and complex ideas shows the importance of communication and equity in these discussions.”
—Gabrielle Beran
People Who Directly Contributed to the First Steps of Governing Together
Gabrielle Beran
Senior Manager,
Climate Change Initiative,
Centre for Public Impact
Tanya Chung‑Tiam‑Fook
Co-founder and Co-holder of 7GenCities
Kevin Chang
Executive Director,
KuaainaUlu Auamo
Jonathan Davies
Professor of Critical Policy Studies,
De Montfort University
Eric Hubbard
Africa Regional Focal Point at the Urban Biodiversity Hub and co-leads the NATURA Network Africa Regional Team for the Global Urban NBS Roadmap
*Eric Hubbard was a relentless, creative, and passionate changemaker, and a friend who inspired us tremendously. We are deeply grateful for his contributions to this project and his spirit will be missed by many.
Sheila Jasanoff
Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies
Harvard University Kennedy School of Government
Miriam King
Director,
LIVING PROOF
Phil Korbel
Director of Advocacy and Founder,
Carbon Literacy Project
Louise Marix Evans
Director,
Quantum Strategy & Technology
Thomas Marois
Professor of Political Economy,
McMaster University
Marisa Morán Jahn
Senior Research,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nathan Kinch
Ethicist and Trust Designer
Cam Perkins
Head of Economic Development and Activations
Darebin City Council
Katya Petrikevich
International Director and Co-Founder,
Participation Factory
Bernadett (Detti) Szél
Visiting Faculty,
Central European University
Erurera Tarena
Executive Diretor,
Tokona Te Raki