TED Community » Daniel Raven-Ellison

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Learning and discovery through exploration.

Talk to me about

What is the #FutureOfLocal? How will travel change local places in the future? http://www.ted.com/intercontinental-futureoflocal

Comments

• TEDCred score: +25.50 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Conversation: How can a global business create a fulfilling relationship with a local community?

  2 days ago: What about brands to sub-brands that belong to an existing global business?

• A reply on Conversation: How can a global business create a fulfilling relationship with a local community?

  2 days ago: Climate change is an interesting one. We can predict possible consequences and there is some will, but arguably not enough. I think there needs to be more incentives for sensitive practices, may they be environmental or social - not that these are entirely separate.

• A reply on Conversation: How can a global business create a fulfilling relationship with a local community?

  2 days ago: Your position is that global businesses will always destroy local community and customs? Is it not possible for sensitive business practices to conserve local communities and customs?

• A reply on Conversation: How can a global business create a fulfilling relationship with a local community?

  2 days ago: That sounds like an Anthony Giddens quote to me! In your opinion, what does this mean for 'global businesses' that are trying to work with 'local communities'?

• A reply on Conversation: How can a global business create a fulfilling relationship with a local community?

  2 days ago: Thanks for your comment Trista. If I understand you correctly, are you saying that businesses should not only supply what is demanded, but also work to create demand for what a community may want to supply?

• A reply on Conversation: How can a global business create a fulfilling relationship with a local community?

  2 days ago: Thanks James. Can you share a little more about what you mean by a "sustainable progress engine"? What is this and how would it work?

• A reply on Conversation: How can a global business create a fulfilling relationship with a local community?

  2 days ago: Surely we can predict possible futures - and try our best to avoid the less favourable ones?

• A reply on Conversation: How can a global business create a fulfilling relationship with a local community?

  2 days ago: This is such an important point. When talking about corruption as a problem, do you see transparency and openness as the solution?
• +3

  A comment on Conversation: How will travel change local places in the future?

  Mar 13 2013: With 89 comments so far, I have been fascinated by the diverse range of contributions that have been made. The stories that have been shared are particularly powerful, with examples of how globalisation is impacting on the communities that we live in, visit and influence.
  
  What is clear is that many of us are working from very different definitions of what 'local' means. Ronald Estrada describes local as "minimal, ecological, and symbiotic" while Iain Ellwood says it is more of "a state of mind not a geographic destination". This idea links well to Dustin Smith's suggestion that technology "changes who we spend time with, and allows us to choose "our own local".
  
  The diversity of definitions of what 'local' means goes a long way to explain why we have so many different predictions about what the future may hold. Steve Knight had the most radical prediction, suggesting that personal air travel "will allow people to re-populate currently remote and unpopulated areas of the world". Pabitra Mukhopadhyay, Dorian Knus and many others share our concern that global forces are damaging local places and raise valid concerns for the future. These worries are met by many points that express the advantages of globalisation, including one by David Rogers who asks "Is the advantage of globalisation the ability to start a conversation anywhere in the world around common experiences?"
  
  There have been a number engaging solutions suggested that tackle many of the problems that have been raised. These have included ways for tourists, travel companies and host communities to act more responsibly and sustainably. From my point of view the common areas here are in high quality research, learning, education, empowerment and participation. Scan through and you will find some real gems.
  
  This specific conversation is now closing on TED, but it has not come to an end. You can follow the progress of the "Future of Local" project via Twitter on #FutureOfLocal.
  
  Thank you all!
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: How will travel change local places in the future?

  Mar 13 2013: In my opinion it is the other way around. Everything and everyone is interconnected, but the world is not getting smaller. Geographers, place makers and architects often use the idea of a 'sense of place' to describe how people think and feel about places. Some people have a 'sense' of the world shrinking, but in reality this is just technology speeding up how quickly some people can travel and communicate.
  
  Like many other comments here, your story shows again how important it is to consider the nature of the connection. Just being in a place is not enough, we need to think about what kind of relationship we want to have with it. Am I close to what you are getting at?