Building an Island
Map of Odysseus' journey home
"When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to shift the entire system to a higher order."
-Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
Our last update introduced the Three Horizons framework for navigating systemic change, where the first horizon (H1) describes the system as it currently operates, the third horizon (H3) is the future system, and the second horizon (H2) is the zone of innovation – the bridge, where new ways of doing things emerge.
Horizon 2 work – like affordable housing preservation – sometimes feels like navigating a sea of chaos, exploring beyond the first horizon in a little sailboat, buffeted by storms, stalled in becalmed seas, crashing on rocks, and sometimes reaching beautiful islands where it’s all worth it…
In our first working session on how to apply the Capital Absorption Framework, Robin Hacke – co-founder of the Center for Community Investment – showed us a map of Odysseus’ journey home (above) – a zigzagging line across the Mediterranean, past monsters and whirlpools, seductive sirens and hostile kingdoms, harried at every step by angry gods.
Her point (and the central theme of the Odyssey) was that while his journey was long and circuitous, Odysseus didn't give up. He was resourceful, tough, guided by a clear intention – and he finally made it home.
Islands of Coherence
In the context of our work, “islands of coherence” are markets where policies, programs, and practices are aligned to deliver on shared priorities.
We have policies and programs – some well-established (LIHTC), and some new (ULA, LACAHSA). The work now is to bring them into a coherent structure and deliver on shared priorities.
How do we do this? By doing deals.
In a system organized by money, deals are system events. Innovative deals expand the definition of “what works,” making the pattern legible enough for the next owner, lender, or funder to trust it and repeat it. Deal by deal – that's how we create an island of coherence in LA.
But one island is not enough. It's islands (plural) – Los Angeles and the other cities simultaneously – that shift a chaotic system toward a new equilibrium. With intention, through networks like the Sustainable Communities Investment Accelerator, we can connect these emerging islands to, "shift the entire system to a higher order."
How similar do these islands need to be? How are they connected? How do we navigate between them?
More on this in our next post. For now, we are strapped to the mast!