Economic Patterns: Constructing a Pattern Language for NRM

So I had written a previous post about my desire not to use Drupal and more specifically PHP for my research project. However, I have done some further in-depth analysis of the requirements for the proposed project and I think that considering the needs for a full featured system along with the ability to extend the system to meet some very specific needs, Drupal presents the best option. Like I said previously, it is cheap to host, the coding quality is much better than comparable PHP based systems and I actually do like the templating system they have developed.

Plus, I think Django will just be too much work to build and get up to speed for this project, and Plone is too expensive to host for the groups I’m working with.

I mean, it is a no-brainer. I don’t despise PHP as a language. It’s more that I prefer Python. In that sense I’m not a complete Python Nazi as some out there are.

In all honesty, PHP 5 is actually a pretty good language, it is easy and when compared to Python, PHP is definitely a much better language for the web, so why not use it? Plus, PHP and Flex work well together which provides greater opportunities for integration with the types of systems I’m focused on developing.

In continuing the search for relevant patterns for NRM this next section deals with issue of economics. This is undoubtedly an important element to supporting an effective and livable community. The pattern list drawn from the Liberating Voices! pattern repository follows as:

• Opportunity Spaces


• Community Networks for Developing Countries


• Whole Cost


• Networked Economies


• Restoring Balance to Intellectual Property Rules


• Change The Flow of Financial Information


• The Commons


• Participatory Budgeting


• "Dematerialization in the Banking Industry"


• Follow The Money


• Dematerialization


• Fair Trade


• Community Currencies


• Alternative Progress Indices


• Labor Visions


• Durable Assets


• Economic Conversion


• Self-help Groups


• Transaction Tax


• Open Source Everything

Again, these patterns were difficult to weed through. However, each of these patterns represent important elements to community empowerment and perhaps more importantly to the research of interest. Each of these are worth consideration. Yet, I would say that it is still important for us to begin thinking about meta-data or semantic annotations for accessing more patterns as contextually related to the work of Community-Based NRM.