Incorporation

Kororoit Institute Proponents and Supporters Association was incorporated on 15 April 2011 to establish an independent complex systems institute with specific interests in theory and practice relating to knowledge based organizations, community emergence, knowledge sharing and multilevel governance relating to urban and regional environments, and organizational architectures.

KI involves many well-established academic and industry members, locally and globally, who have expressed interest in being part of a group that would apply complexity theory to improve understanding of and engage practically with technology, knowledge and their impacts on society.

Kororoit Institute International Symposium and Workshop
Living Spaces for Change: socio-technical knowledge of cities and regions

29 February–2 March 2012, Melbourne, Australia.

The inaugural symposium and workshop of Kororoit Institute (KI) addresses Living Spaces for Change: socio-technical knowledge of cities and regions. This will be held at Engineers Australia, Victorian Division, 21 Bedford Street, North Melbourne, Vic. 3051, close to Melbourne University campus. Please see our Second Call for Presentation Abstracts and breaking news regarding the Program, Venue and Accommodation in the Symposium Page.

Kororoit Institute Proponents and Supporters Association was incorporated on 15 April 2011 to establish an independent complex systems institute with specific interests in theory and practice relating to knowledge based organizations, community emergence, knowledge sharing and multilevel governance relating to urban and regional environments, and organizational architectures.

KI involves many well-established academic and industry members, locally and globally, who have expressed interest in being part of a group that would apply complexity theory to improve understanding of and engage practically with technology, knowledge and their impacts on society.

Context -> Knowledge -> Community -> Action

The Living Spaces for Change theme derived from discussions some KI members had with their colleagues in France, that proposed the formation of an international network of research centres, companies and local communities, where KI might represent the Australian region. The phrase "Living Spaces for Change" was selected as a name because it does not have an existing meaning and because it combines three important words in a somewhat disruptive way that may lead to thought:

  • "Living" refers to the phenomena of life - lives of people and the lives of all the other organisms we share the Earth with - and to the idea that everything is perpetually evolving and interacting.
  • "Spaces" refers to the fact that we live in a multidimensionally complex space that is not only physical (buildings, urban developments...) but also human (e.g., social structures), digital (e.g, world and relationships through the web) and natural - and that interactions in this space occur simultaneously at many scales, from home or office to a city, a whole region and more.
  • "for Change" refers both to the multitude of issues relating to humanity's increasing impacts on our natural environment and living spaces; and to the kinds of changes humans might make to sustain and improve the qualities of our living spaces - both for people and for the sakes of other living organisms our environments require for health.

Our ambition is to assist in the building of a social, natural, physical and digital living environment in order to improve both the qualities of individual peoples' lives and the quality of the natural environment they live in. Many existing initiatives contribute to this aim, but our added value is to address it in a globally systemic way. In Australia, KI people have been involved in the application of social technologies for knowledge management in several such initiatives, in community, landcare and watershed management initiatives.

This is not only applied research, but also applied values. We aim at building a better present and future through collaborative work and collective intelligence, involving the necessary wide range of professionals, social groups and individuals, at local, regional, and international levels. Experiments, practical demonstrations, and real implementations will be at the heart of the initiative, based on theory, research and innovation.

To initiate this international dynamic, KI is organizing this Symposium the topic of "Socio-technical Knowledge of Cities and Regions" to encourage discourse and help expand our understanding of how and why communities collect, structure and manage knowledge to support better decision-making regarding government.

In addition, Australian, French, Finnish and USA participants will highlight their activities and visions on the global Living Spaces for Change theme. Workshops will be held to discuss and share common values, vision and objectives, and initiate the international community projects and actions.

Please see our Call for Presentation Abstracts and the Symposium Page for more details.