incentives for architectural resilience

Institutionally, we could build in tax incentives and subsidies for people to make households more resilient. For example, if we have an energy grid that's unreliable, maybe we shouldn't build condo apartments that are totally dependent on electricity for elevators, water, and air conditioning. In some business towers, the windows don't even open without power. This kind of housing is fundamentally reliant on large-scale centralized power production.

But what if our economy provided tax incentives for residents and commercial centers to have autonomous power production? If these kinds of incentives were incorporated into everyday policy - whether transportation, electricity, food or water - our systems would evolve to be more capable of withstanding shocks.

-- Thomas Homer-Dixon, Worldchanging Interview: Thomas Homer-Dixon (Worldchanging.com)

This idea sort of goes back to Thomas Edison. His issue was transmission of DC current, but regardless he proposed to have generators installed on every block.
There is a myriad of issues with decentralized generation such as for example regulation of code compliance. Pollution control. It is implied that local generation needs to be zero emissions kind, but there will have to be enforcement of that as well.
I am clearly not an expert in the field, but there are plenty of examples of poorly regulated decentralized energy distribution.
It is easier to reign in a large central energy generator through legislative routes, then to reign in a multitude of small non-compliant energy generators through law inforcement routes.

-- ILYA (March 9, 2007 4:38 AM)

Not only a personal solar panel or wind turbine; maybe a vegetable garden, compost pile, bicycle, safe, webserver... (what else?)

The collective benefit of these -- that a resilient system demands diversification -- and that both collective and individual motives can be aligned, is being recognized. Homer-Dixon suggests a manner of accomplishing it..

Providing individuals/groups additional incentive to work on their own behalf (as well as the whole) empowers and frees them. Personal responsibility is implied in a positive light, as well as demanded.

-- Jeff Schuler (March 9, 2007 8:05 AM)