From Michael H. Shuman, keynote speaker at the recent Future Cities 2009 conference in Madison, Wisconsin:

“A world of self-reliant cities is better not only for global ecosystems but also for the health of global democracy. Actively sharing great local business models provides a new tool for spreading democratic practice, not through threats or violence, but through opportunity and collaboration. Self-reliant communities, moreover, have very little rational reason to invade or coerce one another for oil, water or other resources.  Localization is not about ducking globalization but about redefining it.”

To read his entire article, “Localization is way to redefine globalization,” click here.