The model is designed to provide a general understanding of the wear and tear on roads or a community's circulation system as a result of vehicle traffic generated by development within and outside of a community. It is not based on realistic assumptions regarding those impacts, it simply attempts to convey the flow of influence.
The imaginary city has a set area of roads measured in linear yards (width of roads is ignored) and an assumed number of vehicles on those roads set at 30,000 (per day). With those assumptions the wear and tear requiring repair is .02 or 2% Vehicle wear based on the 30,000 per year. There is also a calculated replacement cost of an additional 3% plus through vehicle wear or 5% per year.  An increase in vehicles increases this vehicle wear impact exponentially. The model assumes that there will not be less than 30,000 vehicles.
Expenditures for repair or replacement are set to balance out on an as needed based on 30,000 vehicles. An minimum additional 50 cars from external sources is then assumed. Adding New Homes and/or New Businesses places an even greater burden on the circulation system. 
The model does not consider additional funding. This will be added as a political factor but would need to consider the possibility of decreasing funding for other purposes.
Future additions to the model will include an inflation factor. Unfunded road work will get increasingly more expensive over time. Also a diminished revenue factor. A lack of capacity of the community's roads could likely result in a diminishment of the community's business sector thus reducing sales and property taxes and municipal revenue to expend on the roads. 

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This is a revised version of the Insight Maker Model 605  Jackson's System of Systems Methodology (SOSM) framework for New Community Paradigms

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The basic differences between Complex and Complicated systems based generally on Csikeszenmihalyi's "The Evolving Self" as discussed in Knowledge Management: Emerging Perspectives http://www.systemswiki.org/index.php?title=Knowledge_Management:_Emerging_Perspective

Complexity Complicatedness NCP

This model is based the the New Learning Inhibited/Breaking the Cycle model http://insightmaker.com/insight/7018 It expands upon that model and integrates to a greater extent some of the concepts raised by Argyris, "Teaching Smart People How To Learn" It also introduces ideas from New Community Paradigms.

BCTD Systcp DDDI Participatory Democracy Disruptive Innovation NCP

This model is an attempt to map out a template for a general implementation plan or strategy for the Enabling a Better Tomorrow process for use with New Community Paradigms

EaBT Strategy NCP Systcp

This systems 'story' model is an expansion of Insightmaker model 11923# A 'Better World' thru Systems Thinking. It sets forth an argument that those wishing to promote Participatory Democracy as a viable means of community decision making would be well served incorporating systems thinking into their community governance processes. It does so by demonstrating that some of the principles of participatory democracy not only fit well with a successful program of systems thinking but could also be mutually beneficial.

Better Deliberative and Participatory Democratic Community Based Governance through Systems Thinking

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This model is an extension of the System Thinking Certification course Network Magic Growing Pains segment and the Strategies for Enabling a Better Tomorrow model, which served as the blueprint for this model.

This model is intended to become part of an online learning platform which includes the with the Pathways to New Community Paradigms Blog, Pathways to New Community Paradigms Wiki and a number of other Internet based resources to explore what is termed here 'new community paradigms' which are a transformational change brought about by members of a community.

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The difference between complexity and complicatedness.

Complexity Complicatedness NCP

There has been an ongoing effort to find a means of making systems thinking accessible and readily adopted by others not familiar with systems thinking. One line of thinking places a good deal of the blame on systems thinkers themselves, the problem is that they have not found a good enough method of explaining it and its benefits yet. 
Another possibility though is the extent to which those who are to be helped feel besieged by the situation in which they find themselves making them extremely wary about trying something new. 
This model is not realistic, at least it is hoped that there isn't anyplace where things are this bad. Different communities will be better or worse off in different categories and some will be succeeding in all areas. Those are the communities we need to learn from.
More explanation can be found under the information icons associated with each of the elements.

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This model incorporates the Accounts Payable Examples revised from the STW/STiA Certification program for use with New Community Paradigms

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Thinking about systems

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To this point the Situation, Behavior, Model, Stakeholder and Boundary aspects of this situation have been investigated. It is now appropriate to consider the assumptions that have been made to this point and ensure we are on a solid foundation before proceeding to the Leverage and Strategy aspects are considered.

EaBT AR Period Reduction NCP Systcp AR_Exp

Complexity in the form of Wicked Problems or Challenges is one of the major afflictions facing our communities. This Causal Loop  Diagram is intended to demonstrate how a system of community governance could go off track resulting in a municipal government which maintains power despite not meeting the needs or desires of most its constituents. It also demonstrates the difficulty in communicating this to the average community member as the system is not designed for clear communications. The community member has difficulty in getting a clear picture of the system and even has even greater difficulty in seeing any resolution.

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Investigating the behavior of several variables over time has probably raised more questions than answers. As such now it's time to investigate what else might be influencing the trending of these variables.

Systcp NCP AR_Exp

It's now time for the stakeholders to take the investigation resulting from leverage and craft a strategy which will address the current situation in a manner that is beneficial to the whole system.

Systcp NCP AR_Exp

It is now appropriate to investigate the possible leverage points for the current situation in an attempt to understand the most appropriate components for the strategy.

Systcp NCP AR_Exp

Systems Archtypes

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This model is intended to profile the relevant stakeholders, their responsibilities and apparent motivations.

Systcp NCP AR_Exp

This model, created in response to the rewriting of the first blog post on the Systems Thinking Certification Course, attempts to map out some of the general relationships making up Systems Thinking. Elements or stuff that we consider important can be increased or decreased, changed in different ways. There are different ways to model this process that are qualitative or quantitative in nature. These changes are influenced by different stakeholders or actors. The interaction of these elements makes for different scenarios that can be seen as analogous to plays. The systems thinking perspective asks us to look at the relationships and processes on a deeper level. 

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A representation of the initial perception of the situation associated with Big Box Distribution and it's overly lengthy average accounts receivable.

Systcp NCP AR_Exp

This model is a copy based on a model created by Thorbjoen Mann 
Owner, Thorbjoern Mann Consulting for an blog article:A topic map for a systems thinking discussion on participatory democracy created on a Systems Thinking in Action LinkedIn group discussion regarding Better Participatory Democracy Through Systems Thinking which in turn was based on two 'story' models A 'Better World' thru Systems Thinking and Participatory Democracy with Systems Thinking, and their respective blog posts.
A couple of liberties were taken with this version or interpretation. The original model did not have arrows, so it is my interpretation as to direction.  Stocks were chosen because of presentation. It does not imply quantity. Certain elements in the original model were not enclosed in boxes. These were assigned to variable primitives to differentiate them from boxed elements. The Insightmaker Folder capability was used to group what appeared to be common elements together. The Folders can be opens by clicking the + sign in each folder.

Democracy Participatory Democracy Decision Making NCP

Now that we have some context for the situation it's appropriate to begin to investigate, though possibly not where you might think. And the investigation is actually a bit hindered because management fired the accounts receivables department. What I'm really interested in is trends as to how things have evolved over time.

Systcp NCP AR_Exp

This model identifies the boundaries and responsibilities of the various relevant stakeholders.

Systcp NCP AR_Exp

This model attempts to illustrate a Strong Towns' perspective of municipal financing of our communities based on a development Growth Ponzi Scheme. http://www.strongtowns.org/the-growth-ponzi-scheme/ 
The communal economic investment by the community to help generate future economic prosperity and improve the community's quality of life. 
If the community generates greater economic prosperity as a result of the Near Term Cash either directly through increased Municipal Revenue or indirectly through the enhancement of Community Wealth Generators and Place Making improvements within the community then it is a desirable investment. 
If, however, it leads to ever increasing debt and the chasing of outside investments with the community as the means of collateral then it is a Growth Ponzi Scheme and the community needs to create some new paradigms to find a different path. 

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