WHAlf BURNING MANS fEMPORARY TOWN

TEACHES US ABOUT SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

By THOMAS SULLIVAN, PhD

Thousands w a tc h as th e Man is b u rn e d d u rin g B u rn in g Man 2015 in th e B lack R ock D esert o f

Nevada on S e p te m b e r 5. A p p ro x im a te ly 7 0 ,0 0 0 p e o p le a tte n d e d th e s o ld -o u t fe stiva l.
PHOTO BY REUTERS/JIM URQUHART

American Planning Association 21

 I say through my aviation microphone to Major Tom, the pilot of an
ultralight I somehow found myself strapped into.This is craaaazy!
Seeing Black Rock City from 2,000 feet in the air on this September
morning was scary, exhilarating, amazing, and really cold. Stretched
out below us was the tan-colored Black Rock Desert, a 200-square-
PHOTO BY THOMAS SULLIVAN

mile, silt-filled basin in northwest Nevada thats surrounded by

brownish, rugged mountain ranges and hundreds of miles of desert.
In the spring, intermittent mountain streams fill the expansive pla-
ya with a thin film of water until it evaporates by summer, naturally
forming a smooth tabletop finish, upon which a new city is built
every year for the Burning Man Festival.
22 Planning A pril 2016

U T O P IA N
RESEM BLANCE
The c ity plan fo r B lack R ock C ity (fa r
rig h t) re sem ble s a n o th e r fo rw a rd -
th in k in g plan, th a t fo r E benezer
H o w a rd s G arden C ity (rig h t).
H o w a rd s th re e m a g n e ts ad dresse d 711
th e qu e s tio n , W here w ill th e p e o p le
g o ? , th e cho ice s b e in g "Tow n,
C o u n try, o r T o w n -C o u n try . Black
R ock's m a p id e n tifie s c o m m u n ity
zones in c lu d in g a rt plazas, c iv ic 5
,v ,*a..,
plazas, c a m p in g , and (o f cou rse)
p o rta -p o ttie s .
SOURCE: THREE MAGNETS. WIKIMEDIA (CC-BY-2.5); BURNINGMAN.ORG
If urban planners shared my view on this beautiful Satur
day they would surely recognize the resemblance to Ebenezer
Howards Garden City. Its as if a huge clock showing the hours
from two to 10 was stamped onto the playa, where at the intersec
tion of imaginary hands sits The Man. He stands there patiently,
waiting for dusk when he will be set on fire.
While this city resembles many of our own communities in
'PLAYA" BY BLM NEVADA, FLICKR (CC-BY-2.0)
the Mountain Westa mix of gated communities, suburbs, com
mercial-type districts, mixed use neighborhoods, and plazasit
is obvious that what is missing is the fast-paced car culture that
dominates our default-world existence. Instead, from my vantage
point, I spy Mutant Vehicles and Art Cars (for Burning Man defini
tions, see page 27 and burningman.org/culture/glossary), flocks of
pedestrians, and bicyclists by the thousands.
This is my fourth consecutive Burn. While I am getting more
comfortable at being uncomfortable (i.e., ultralight flying), I still
remain in awe of the resourcefulness, innovation, and selflessness
In te rm itta n t sprin g m o u n ta in stream s fill th e playa and
d ry in th e sum m er, fo rm in g a s m o o th ta b le to p fin ish upon
w h ic h a new c ity is b u ilt each year fo r B urning Man.
THE
THR EE M A G N E T S .
M PW & | p 5
Where wile they Go? K at * *
T o w n -C ountry ^-
'<> " to r s . o
v
5LACL K X X CITY
2015
of nearly everyone I meet here. As an educator in sustainable
planning and transportation, I find this an ideal place to study
and learn how BRC is a living laboratory that, among a number of
things, shows us ways to transition into more sustainable places.
Amsterdam on Mars
The busyness of bicycles reminds me of my first time at BRC
in 2012. I was crouched down at the intersection of 9:00 and
Dandelion taking a series of snapshotsone of hundredsin
hopes of capturing the active street life. Interrupting one of
my photos, a burly, heavily bearded young man dressed in a toga
placed himself into the frame, where he posed, flashed a smile,
and jokingly mouthed something likeHave a nice day, *%%#.
So sets the mood of Burning Man, where, when a citys rhythm is
slowed, interaction among its inhabitants is inevitable, and ones
ease of being an active part of the community accelerates.
My bearded friends intrusion only momentarily obscured my
 reason for being at this junction. When I first arrived as a place where amazing art, hippies, and strange
on the playa, I was awestruck at the hordes of bicy customs and costumes constitute a utopian-like me

0
PRINCIPLES
OF
clists and pedestrians that dominated the streets. I
live a earless lifestyle in my hometown of Missoula,
Montana, and I have always maintained a passionate
interest in sustainable transportation, but this place
far exceeded my expectations of what a city devoid
of automobiles would be like.
Whether a Darkwad or Rave Chicken, a Sparkle
tropolis, I look at the ways that sustainable forms of
transport truly enhance connectedness, both physi
cally and culturally, with the result of a greater op
portunity for community living in ways that lessen
the impact on our environment.

T e n s im p le p r in c ip le s a n d 'le a v e n o tr a c e '
BURNING Pony or Fluffer, everyone on the playa walks or rides Radical self-reliance and self-expression, immedi
M AN a bicycle with the exception of a few hundred Art acy, giftingeach comprising elements of personal
B urn in g Man Car and Mutant Vehicle drivers, Bureau of Land fulfillment and responsibilityseem to effortlessly
c o fo u n d e r Larry Management rangers, and Department of Public mingle with those community-oriented attributes
H arvey w ro te
th e 10 P rinciples Works folks. of communal effort, decommodification, partici
in 2 0 0 4 . They Stacked outside the hundreds of art exhibits and pation, civic responsibility, and radical inclusion.
w ere c ra fte d n o t
to d ic ta te how
sculptures, rave parties and pubs, yoga sessions, To me, Burning Mans 10 principles (tinyurl.com
p e ople should and choir performances are literally hundreds of /hqycvyt) are cemented through the overriding
be and act, b u t bicycles. No parking garages or traffic signs, traffic principle of leaving no trace. All are guidelines that
as a re fle c tio n o f
th e c o m m u n ity s police, or pavement stripes are needed, as people evolved over decades of Burning Man festivals, even
eth os and rarely exceed the five mph speed limit and accidents tually coalescing into loosely defined rules of urban
c u ltu re as it
had org a n ica lly
are uncommon. And in fact, bicycles often become a living that are mostly enforced by its residents.
d e velope d since reflection of the individuals personality while at the But a regulatory structure does exist in the city,
th e e ve n ts same time bringing people together. especially since the festival occurs on federal land
incep tion.

o
RADICAL
INCLUSION
Smart Growth, new urbanism, Slow Food,
and Cittaslow (Slow Cities) are all organizations
or movements that advocate, at least in some way,
equality, community interaction, and a slowing
administered by the BLM. Years ago the agency,
the Burning Man organization, and the Earth
Guardiansa group of volunteers who promote
and help to enforce environmental stewardship at
down of culture. This actually happens in Black the festivalreached out to and received sponsor
o
DECOMMODIFICATION
Rock City. And while the media often portrays it ship from the Leave No Trace organization, which

o
RADICAL
SELF-RELIANCE

o
RADICAL
SELF-EXPRESSION

e
GIFTING

O
COMMUNAL EFFORT

o
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY

e
LEAVING NO TRACE

e
PARTICIPATION

IMMEDIACY

SOURCE:
BURNINSMAN.ORG

A M u tant V ehicle m ade up like a p o la r bear drive s th ro u g h th e du st d u rin g B urn in g Man 2015.

24 Planning A pril 2016

trained a number of staff and volunteers at BRC. The
result is an awareness and passing down of the LNT
principles to all residents in a remarkable process
where this city of 70,000-plus disappears almost as
quickly as it appears.
I stopped by the Earth Guardians camp on a
busy, research-driven Wednesday morning and vis
ited with Lorax, one of the original camp organizers.
She spoke of their newly developed program, where
teams of Earth Guardians and BLM rangers go
out and monitor camps. Those who do not adhere
to LNT principles are cited for nonconformance.
Armed with GPS units, these teams cover the entire
city over the one-week period, mapping burn marks,
gas spills, and MOOP (Matter Out of Place) while
also educating city residents on the benefits of sus
tainable practices.
Leaving impressed by the diligent efforts of
the Earth Guardians, I next visited Recycle Camp,
where I met Mister Blue, the head of waste collec
tion and recycling for the Burning Man organization
since 2002. Since that time, Mister Blue estimates,
theyve doubled their can recycling efforts to rough
ly 175,000 cans, and his dream, much like the goals
for a number of cities in the region, is to achieve
zero waste at the event in the upcoming years. Ul
timately, it would be best if I was out of a job, he
says, alluding to the notion that if all products and
packaging brought to the event were compostable
then no recycling would be needed at all.
Exhausted and back home at Wonder Camp, I
take a seat next to my friend I Dont Know under the
awning of her small trailer. She is a retired train en
gineer, artist, and novice tobacco enthusiast. I watch
as she lights up a roll-your-own cigarette. Taking
a drag or two, she fumbles around for her Altoids
tinthe ashtray of choice on the playafrantically
hoping to avoid a Sixteen Candles moment, finally
finding it hidden on a small coffee table underneath
a copy of BRC Weekly. She opens the lid of the small
metal container and taps in the ash. Pandoras Loungea nearby bike shop and barab Bikes are the main
This most subtle of acts is rather ordinary be stain from showers all week in order to reduce their mode o f transportion
on the playa during
havior at BRC, and it helps me see the more indi graywater production. I reluctantly venture over to Burning Man, and the
vidualized, bottom-up approach to LNT. Burners, ward their camp expecting to not need directions. "Man himselfhis
legs are visible here
most whom I found follow the 10 principles, are Camp organizer Allen Wrench explains how dominates the scene
acculturated into a behavior based on the ideals of Pandora is a do-it-yourself bicycle maintenance (top). Festival-goers
individual responsibility and environmental stew shop, strictly adhering to the principle of self- stay in tig h tly packed,
dusty camps where
ardship. So while there is a regulatory structure and reliance. From changing flats to oiling chains, their personal hygiene takes
organizations that practice a top-down approach to mechanics teach people life skills that Allen sees as a back seat to the
principle o f leaving no
sustainable practices, the embedded notion that the one way for Burners to improve their and others trace.
individual is responsible for his or her actions is cer lives upon their return to the default world.
tainly evident. And while this camp advertises itself as a bike
shop, some of the less conspicuous activities include
'It 's n o t a n y w o r s e t h a n o n e d a y a t N A S C A R ' recycling bicycle tubes (another camp uses them to
The next day, I returned to the Earth Guardians make floggersI didnt ask!) and chains (sent to the
and asked Lorax if there were any themed camps Chainspirations jewelry company), their use of solar
that were more sustainable than most. You mean panels to power lights and charge appliancesin
like not taking showers? she asks. Denizens of cluding the bar fridge, and of course the shower.

American Planning Association 25

A s a n e d u c a t o r in s u s t a i n a b l e
p la n n in g a n d t r a n s p o r t a t io n ,
I f in d th is a n id e a l p la c e t o
s t u d y a n d l e a r n h o w B R C is a
liv in g la b o r a t o r y t h a t , a m o n g
a n u m b e r o f t h in g s , s h o w s us
w a y s t o tr a n s itio n in to m o r e
s u s t a i n a b l e p la c e s .

An activity that is gaining popularity among es

tablished camps is stowing camp materials in a stor
age unit in a nearby town to substantially reduce the
amount of fuel required each year to set up. So while
the festival is often criticized for being anything but
carbon neutral, Allen says: There are 70,000 people
living in the middle of the desert for one week. You
know, its not any worse than one day at NASCAR.
Only a few streets over, I venture into Cartoon
Commune/Green Reflections Camp, where I run
into Lewis, the camp director, who shows me a
number of smallish inventions that helped them to
substantially reduce their footprint. In the kitchen,
a milk crate full of papier-mache fuel ballsa con
coction of shredded paper, vegetable oil, and dryer
lintsupply all the power needed for their Folgers
coffee can rocket stove.
Strolling further behind the scenes, Lewis shows
me his 10-foot-square cardboard house, complete
with pop-bottle light and ceiling fan, natural air
conditioning, a small solar array that powers their
two dance parties and open-mic nights, a recycled
T-shirt-walled community center/night club, and a
wind-powered evaporator that eliminates nearly all
their graywater.
My tour finished, I asked him what he thought
about sustainable practices here on the playa. Was it
possible for BRC to become carbon neutral (whatev of an epic brown-out. Id ridden my bicycle eight days to BRC from Montana, and
er that means)? You cant preach to people, he says. on my way in they nearly ran me off the road in their vintage Nevada Hotshot
In fact, it is more about education, as you would bus just outside of Cedarville, California. They felt sorry for me and I was invited
be surprised how many people dont know about the inside. Ive been with them ever since. Wonder Camp itself is a sort of strip mall
little things you can do in living more sustainably. that includes a Bike and Art Car Repair Shop, the Siren Salon, and a silkscreen
shopSplinter the Printers.
The 20-odd hardworking souls that live and work in and around the camp
PHOTO BY THOMAS SULLIVAN

N o 'S p a r k l e P o n i e s ,'j u s t W o n d e r H o r s e s

That Sunday morning in Wonder Campnamed
after the plastic Wonder Horses that lead the camps
famous Stagecoach Art CarI sit with my good
friends Rosy and Driver on this final day of the fes
tival. We reminisce about our first meeting in 2012
when they rescued me at the front gate in the midst
have a fundamental understanding that everyone adheres to the 10 principles.
And for each new member, lessons in sustainable living are passed down. It is in
this place where I learned how to live more sustainably.
I believe BRC is truly a model for how a change in our behavior is plausible.
Calling Black Rock City the greenest metropolis in the American West is per
haps a bit of a stretch, especially when looking at it from a holistic perspective.

26 Planning April 2016


But what I see as most important is the impact
that this place has on the individuals, who, like me,
return to their communities in the default world and
pass along elements of living sustainability to their
friends and neighbors. In this sense, BRC, an incu
bator of sorts, is unlike any other place on Earth.
Thomas Sullivan is a visiting assistant professor in the Department
o f Geography at the University o f Montana. His research and
teaching emphasize the social and cultural aspects o f active
transportation, transportation infrastructure, and sustainable
urban planning. Sullivan's playa name is Tutu (or 2-Squared), a
name given to him by the Wonder Campers. (Yes, he has a tutu,
also a gift.) Catch his session on sustainable practices in the
Mountain West at the National Planning Conference: tinyurl.com/
zokt6kx.
BURNING MAN
GLOSSARY (ABRIDGED)
ART CARS
See Mutant Vehicle.
BURNER
One who pursues a way of life based on the values
reflected in the 10 Principles of Burning Man.
DARKWAD
Anyone who walks or rides on the playa at night without
adequate lighting on the front and back of his/her person
or vehicle.
DEEP PLAYA
In Black Rock City, the area of open playa behind the Man,
particularly the outer realms near the perimeter trash
fence.
DEFAULT WORLD
The rest of the world that is not Black Rock City during
the Burning Man event.
EARTH GUARDIANS
A subgroup of Burning Man participants who work
with the BLM to care for the Black Rock Desert. Earth
Guardians are trained in Leave No Trace techniques.
FLUFFER
A volunteer who supports other volunteer teams in the
field, such as by replenishing their drinking water.
GREY WATER
''Used water that has been contaminated by soap,
toothpaste, playa dust, food residue, or similar pollutants.
Though not as nasty as the black water" of human waste,
it needs to be carefully collected and removed from Black
Rock City, never left on the playa.
MOOP
Matter Out Of Place. Litter, debris, rubbish.
MUTANT VEHICLE
A motorized conveyance that is radically, stunningly,
(usually) permanently, and safely modified. Larry Harvey
likens Mutant Vehicles to sublimely beautiful works of art
floating across the playa like a Miro painting. Licensed
by the DMV, these vehicles are an important part of the
Burning Man experience.
PLAYA
The Spanish word for beach, also used to describe dry
lake beds in the American West such as the Black Rock
Desert.
PLAYA NAME
Originally spawned by the need for unique names on
the staffs two-way radios, playa names have become
almost ubiquitous, and are sometimes used to provide an
The author's home individual with an alternate" personality or persona. Playa
at Wonder Camp, names are traditionally given to a person, rather than
where sustainable taken on.
practices such as water
conservation, recycling, RAVE CHICKEN
and leave no trace are Someone who attends the Burning Man Festival or a rave
passed down through and decorates himself in copious amounts of feathers.
the generations of Inevitably some of the feathers fall off and become MOOP.
Burners who live and Related to the Sparkle Pony.
work here.
SPARKLE PONY
Derogatory term for a participant who fails to embrace
the principle of radical self-reliance, and is overly reliant on
the resources of friends, campmates, and the community
at large to enable their Burning Man experience. Often
fashionably attired, since they pack nothing but costumes.
SOURCE: BURNINGMAN.ORG/CULTURE/GLOSSARY
American Planning Association 27
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