Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

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Patroklus Murakami
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Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Patroklus Murakami »

My overall campaign theme is ‘Building Bridges’ and this is particularly important - both literally and metaphorically - when we come to the Locus Amoenus Rebuild.

I see this as a top priority for an incoming Chancellor - we need to complete the rebuild and do so in a way which is genuinely inclusive and collaborative. I believe that we can complete the rebuild with much less anxiety and unhappiness if we are clear about what needs to be done, clear about who is doing the work and clear about when it will be completed.

First, let’s tackle some key questions people have about completing this project:

  • Key Questions
    Are you going to move anybody?
    No.

    Will your plan be different from the plan the previous Chancellor was working to?
    I want to look at the plan again, take input from people who have thought about LA carefully and, if necessary make some small changes. But I think we have to accept that the LA rebuild will largely implement the plan already agreed by the RA. I am not going to start with a blank sheet of paper, what’s done is done.

    Will anyone have to change their parcel lines?
    It won’t be necessary. Any changes to parcel lines, if needed, can be made on land which is not currently owned by someone. If I do need to ask someone to change a parcel line this will be entirely voluntary and I won’t ask people to relocate any buildings.

No one will need to move and no one will need to move their home due to an agreed parcel line change or terraforming.

Here is how I would complete the project if elected as Chancellor:

First of all, we need a plan!
In RL I often work on complex projects and programmes. These all have clear plans which set out what we need to do, who is going to do the work and when we are going to do it by. We need to be comprehensive and make sure we are addressing all of the remaining issues and things to do on the build.

For example:

  • Our Covenants for LA are 90% of the way there. They are pretty comprehensive but have one or two gaps. For example, have we sufficiently defined what ’Tuscan’ means? It seems very broad at the moment, are we happy with the builds that will result? The Covenant for the Fishing Village and Houseboat ‘liveaboards’ say that there will be pre-approved prefabs but we have not set these out for the houseboats and, as a consequence we have a mix of styles. Do we want to be more specific? And do we ‘grandfather’ the builds which are already in place?

    The Fishing Village is a work in progress. We need to complete this and be happy that, as with Neufreistadt, we have range of prefabs which people will want to live in and which are visually coherent when put together.

    We need to decide what to do about the “Umbilicus Mundus” - the foundation of LA. Do we delete it? Relocate it? Keep some of it and not other parts? None of this has been decided yet and, given its central location and its importance to the history of the sim , it is vital we settle this quickly.

Second, the RA needs to be bought in to a revised plan
I respect the fact that many people have worked on the LA Rebuild Project for some time now (almost two years since ideas were first mooted). The RA has approved a plan but, as I’ve shown above, there are a few small gaps that need to filled. If elected, I will work with the RA to get their approval for the minor changes that need to be made, and a detailed plan which sets out everything we need to do to finish the job.

Third, we need the Guild back on side.
The Artisan’s Guild includes some of our best and brightest builders - people who are not only proficient in what they do in the CDS but who have a reputation far wider than our own small corner of the grid. We need to have them on board so that our reputation for the quality of our built environment is maintained. I also want to maintain the enthusiasm of the people who are already working on LA - I don’t believe in ‘closed shops’ or that the Guild has monopoly rights to work on CDS projects.

Finally, we should celebrate!
Locus Amoenus has the potential to be a major asset and we are very close to achieving that. We should celebrate with a reopening of the sim which acknowledges its past and looks forward to a successful future.

I plan to post more on my plans for our 10th Birthday Celebrations in a future forum post later this week.

Honi soit qui mal y pense
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Bromo Ivory
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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Bromo Ivory »

Thanks, Pat - that's exactly what I was after (and a releif!)

Thanks again,
Bromo

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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by cleopatraxigalia »

I hope you are right bromo amd we can be relieved but I'd like a more detailed statemetnt than that from pat. Are you going to move anybody? No

I'd like Pat to tell us definitively he will not let anyone change one parcel line, not ask one citizen to move and that he will veto the ra if they vote to do so. I would like a statement from him rhat is more clear and definitive and if he gives it I will also be relieved with you and gladly. His simple no to that Statements without clarification leaves me still concerned. I want ro know he'll veto the ra too and make sure it can't happen.

Last edited by cleopatraxigalia on Thu Apr 03, 2014 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Bromo Ivory »

Third, we need the Guild back on side.
The Artisan’s Guild includes some of our best and brightest builders - people who are not only proficient in what they do in the CDS but who have a reputation far wider than our own small corner of the grid. We need to have them on board so that our reputation for the quality of our built environment is maintained. I also want to maintain the enthusiasm of the people who are already working on LA - I don’t believe in ‘closed shops’ or that the Guild has monopoly rights to work on CDS projects.

That's an interesting idea, and one I happen to strongly agree with. But mostly the 'closed shop' aspect - what do you mean by it? The Guild is a very different entity than when it was run by Moon way back when - but they set their own rules, and have chosen to limit their membership to "approved builders." Are you proposing that the Guild open its doors to CDS for membership, or something else? The Guild is one of several "contractors" for builds, with some being dedicated and enthusiastic people who do not belong to the Guild?

But also reading a little into it, when you say the Guild doesn't have monopoly rights - are you proposing bypassing them if the "bid" doesn't go through? Baghs ended up not using them because they didn't give her a useable plan, or a plan that didn't require a lot of citzen relocation. If you were to re-engage the Guild on the completion of LA, or another project - how would you do it? They rejected Baghs plan for LA, and you have mentioned that for the most part, you're keeping it, and won't force peopel to move their houses. What would you do to entice them to help (or are you talking in generalities that LA is finifshed up, and you will give them the opportunity to bid on new work? What would that new work be, and how would you handle a situation when the Chancellor & RA's vision is presented, and the Guild reject it?

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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Cadence Theas »

cleopatraxigalia wrote:

I hope you are right bromo amd we can be relieved but I'd like a more detailed statemetnt than that from pat. Are you going to move anybody? No

I'd like Pat to tell us definitively he will not let anyone change one parcel line, not ask one citizen to move and that he will veto the ra if they vote to do so. I would like a statement from him rhat is more clear and definitive and if he gives it I will also be relieved with you and gladly. His simple no to that Statements without clarification leaves me still concerned. I want ro know he'll veto the ra too and make sure it can't happen.

Cleo, what more can he say? He has said in his manifesto that no one moves and no borders are changed in LA without agreement. The next step is to ask him to leave a deposit for the value of the properties and improvements in a CDS account to reimburse the fictional victims of a fictional policy that you attribute to him. He said no one moves, no changes in parcel lines without agreement. That's it, mystery solved.

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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Patroklus Murakami »

Bromo Ivory wrote:

Third, we need the Guild back on side.
The Artisan’s Guild includes some of our best and brightest builders - people who are not only proficient in what they do in the CDS but who have a reputation far wider than our own small corner of the grid. We need to have them on board so that our reputation for the quality of our built environment is maintained. I also want to maintain the enthusiasm of the people who are already working on LA - I don’t believe in ‘closed shops’ or that the Guild has monopoly rights to work on CDS projects.

That's an interesting idea, and one I happen to strongly agree with. But mostly the 'closed shop' aspect - what do you mean by it? The Guild is a very different entity than when it was run by Moon way back when - but they set their own rules, and have chosen to limit their membership to "approved builders." Are you proposing that the Guild open its doors to CDS for membership, or something else? The Guild is one of several "contractors" for builds, with some being dedicated and enthusiastic people who do not belong to the Guild?

But also reading a little into it, when you say the Guild doesn't have monopoly rights - are you proposing bypassing them if the "bid" doesn't go through? Baghs ended up not using them because they didn't give her a useable plan, or a plan that didn't require a lot of citzen relocation. If you were to re-engage the Guild on the completion of LA, or another project - how would you do it? They rejected Baghs plan for LA, and you have mentioned that for the most part, you're keeping it, and won't force peopel to move their houses. What would you do to entice them to help (or are you talking in generalities that LA is finifshed up, and you will give them the opportunity to bid on new work? What would that new work be, and how would you handle a situation when the Chancellor & RA's vision is presented, and the Guild reject it?

Bromo

What the Guild chooses to do is its own business as a "Non-Governmental Organisation". I don't believe it is any of the government's business to tell NGOs how to run their own affairs (unless they're breaching the ToS, Code of Laws, Constitution etc).

As the Guild is an NGO, I don't believe they automatically have the right to a monopoly on all building work in CDS. I think the Chancellor, in partnership with the RA, should be able to employ anyone - inside or outside the CDS - to work on projects in the CDS. If people want to set themselves up outside of the Guild as an architectural practice or set up a rival to the Guild then good luck to them! They should also be considered for any building or renovation that needs to be done. If the past is any guide to the future though, the Guild will continue to attract our most proficient builders and those who are willing to learn from them so it will be a natural 'go to' organisation. Historically, the Guild artisans have only asked for token payments for their work as there is a fair degree of pride to be had in saying 'I built that!' in a community with such high standards for the built environment. Guild artisans have also tended to be committed to the overall project and therefore willing to give their time as volunteers for very little monetary remuneration. That also tends to make them the natural 'go to' organisation. I'm just saying that this does not mean they have a monopoly or that someone who chooses not to join the Guild should be excluded from building or renovation projects.

As for how to engage, resolve disputes and so on. You do it by talking to people :) Obviously though, there's more to it than that. Effective negotiation means understanding where the other person is really coming from and what they really care about. Then it's about working out where the common ground and common interests are and starting from agreement on those points. The key point is to work towards a solution all can live with rather than trying to impose a vision on someone who is resistant. That rarely works. As we have seen.

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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Gwyneth Llewelyn »

I'm bumping this thread, now that Pat is in his first day of office, to officially announce that, as a RA member, I'm fully supportive of speeding up the process of completing Locus Amoenus and making sure it's open to accept new citizens on whatever parcels — and do it as quickly as possible.

Pat, what can I do — in terms of legislation; I'm no builder as you know! — to help you out with this? What should the RA's priorities be?

The last 'decision' the RA made regarding the planning was to mandate the previous Chancellor to go ahead with the plan and implement it. Should we reinforce that decision, even though it was related to 'the Executive' and not a specific person, and, as such, it's meant to continue to be valid, no matter who holds the office of Chancellor? But perhaps it's a nice gesture of goodwill to reinforce the decision to show that the RA wants to cooperate with the newly elected Executive in the same way it cooperated with the previous one, and publish that support as legislation, so that there are no doubts: the RA wants the current Executive to finish the job done so far on LA, and will give the newly elected Chancellor the same amount of powers it gave the previous one? Something to that effect?

Gosh, this almost sounds like a campaign speech, but I didn't mean it this way :) I just want to see the LA finished and all its remaining parcels placed for sale. Seriously, that's my priority right now!

(Also, I can only speak for myself :) and obviously not for the remaining RA members, but I'm sure most of them will be happy to have LA finished...)

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Patroklus Murakami
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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Patroklus Murakami »

No rest for the wicked, eh?

Right now, I think the ball's in my court. We have a plan, I just need to work out what's missing as outlined in my post at the head of this thread and then get cracking.

I'll come back to the RA to update you on progress and, as I've said, there may be one or two minor changes which need to made to the plan. I see this as plugging holes in the covenants (e.g. the liveaboard houseboats) and any other gaps that might turn up.

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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Gwyneth Llewelyn »

Goodie :) I'm very glad you feel that way, Pat. Let's go ahead and finish the rebuilding!

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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Bromo Ivory »

Patroklus Murakami wrote:

No rest for the wicked, eh?

Right now, I think the ball's in my court. We have a plan, I just need to work out what's missing as outlined in my post at the head of this thread and then get cracking.

I'll come back to the RA to update you on progress and, as I've said, there may be one or two minor changes which need to made to the plan. I see this as plugging holes in the covenants (e.g. the liveaboard houseboats) and any other gaps that might turn up.

Hey Pat, congratulations!

Let me know how I can help, if there is any way?

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Re: Building Bridges… To Rebuild Locus Amoenus

Post by Garnet Psaltery »

Builder at your service.

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