Introducing - Proposals for a better Barnes
How to ensure we are all thriving and climate-ready by 2050
The Manifesto is the heart of this journal. This is where you’ll find the core of the ambition. If Barnes is to be re-imagined seriously, the thinking needs to be visible: tested, refined, occasionally reworked. That is what you’ll find in the Manifesto.
It is made up of several chapters:
Inputs
Trends - signals from the present which might point toward the future
Visions - plausible futures based on values and experiences
Outputs
Principles – small number of guiding ideas that shape how decisions are made
Proposals – specific interventions, big and small to change Barnes
This post introduces the last of these: Proposals.
These ideas are rooted in evidence, designed for people, and alive to the realities of climate and community alike.
Over time, there will be dozens - some pragmatic, others idealistic.
But all share a common purpose: to prompt neighbours, residents, politicians and policymakers to reimagine Barnes with people at the centre.
Welcome to Barnes2050, a place-based futures project asking, how do we make sure Barnes, the place and its people, are thriving and climate-ready by 2050?
Global v local responsibilities
Some proposals are designed to mitigate climate change, that is to reduce the emissions driving the crisis. Encouraging a shift from driving to walking, cycling or public transport falls into this category. These are the globally responsible things to do.
Others focus on adaptation: reshaping our environment to reduce the harm that a changing climate will bring. The Community BlueScape project, for example, is about preparing locally for wetter, stormier times. These are the locally responsible choices.
Me, few or many
There’s another way to understand these proposals, one that reflects the origin of this blog.
It began as a personal search: what could I do to live more lightly, age more gracefully, and shrink my footprint? That remains part of the story. But it’s clear that many changes will need help from neighbours, from businesses, from government.
So I now think of proposals falling into three categories:
Individual: Things one person can do.
Collaborative: Projects that require small groups.
Collective: System-level solutions for society as a whole.
There are plenty of individual actions. I’ve cut back on red meat. I’ll eventually tackle my gas heating system. I need to do these. But let’s be honest: individual choices aren’t enough. We won’t solve the climate crisis with better shopping decisions alone.
The collaborative space is growing, a shift even the local council has begun to embrace with its ‘place-based’ thinking. Some projects depend on neighbours joining together. Others hinge on how one street interacts with the next. I’m looking now at a reproduction Edwardian lamppost paid for by local residents after the council offered the option. It fits with a street of late-Victorian homes protected by conservation rules. A successful collaboration.
And then there are the collective decisions. These are bigger, messier, and usually political. Whether or not Hammersmith Bridge should be fully restored? That’s a decision we all share.
his blog will have done its job if it produces proposals across all three categories. For now, I expect the breakdown to look like this:
Individual – 10%
Collaborative – 30%
Collective – 60%
I’ll revisit that forecast as we go.
You can find all the current proposals listed here.
Updates to this page
This page was launched on 04 August 2025.
It was updated on 16 February 2026 to reflect the new structure including principles and proposals
The most recent update on 08 May 2026 included the addition of the inputs, trends and visions.