
Creating City Portraits
An earlier methodological guide for downscaling the Doughnut to the city (newer version available)

NOTE FROM DEAL (April 2022): We have substantively updated this methodological handbook and incorporated it into a wider set of 'Doughnut Unrolled' tools for applying the ideas of Doughnut Economics to your place.
DEAL is keeping this legacy tool available on our platform for archiving but it will not be updated.
For DEAL's latest guidance on selecting targets and indicators, please use the Doughnut Unrolled: Data Portrait of Place tool (available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese).
Version 1.1 (February 2021)
* También disponible en español abajo (PDF) *
* 下面也提供葡萄牙语(PDF) *
* Também disponível em português abaixo (PDF) *
Overview
The DEAL Team collaborated with Biomimicry 3.8, C40 Cities and Circle Economy – through the Thriving Cities Initiative – to create the City Portrait methodology, and pilot the approach in Philadelphia, Portland and Amsterdam.
We created this methodological guide available as a PDF below with accompanying supplementary spreadsheet, which was published in July 2020 (with Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese translations published in February 2021).
Acknowledgements
The City Portrait methodology was conceptualised by Kate Raworth of Doughnut Economics Action Lab and Janine Benyus of Biomimicry 3.8, and this methodological guide was written by Andrew Fanning, Olya Krestyaninova, Kate Raworth, Jamie Dwyer, Nicole Hagerman Miller, and Fredrik Eriksson.
The methodology was greatly enriched by comments from colleagues and advisers including: Julia Lipton, Tom Bailey, Josh Alpert, Elvia Rufo Jimenez, Zach Tofias, Cécile Faraud, Mehrnaz Ghojeh, Chantal Oudkerk Pool, and Krisztina Campbell from the C40; Ilektra Kouloumpi, Annerieke Douma, Max Russell, and Jurn de Winter from Circle Economy; Paul van Schaik from Integral Institute; Ieva Rozentale from Mindworks; Philip Vergragt, Manisha Anantharaman, Halina Brown, and Christoph Rupprecht from SCORAI; Anne Owen from the University of Leeds; Kate Meyer from the Planetary Accounting Network; Nicolas Esposito, Haley Jordan, and Helena Rudoff from The City of Philadelphia; Kyle Diesner and Amanda Watson from The City of Portland, Oregon; Eveline Jonkhoff and Juan-Carlos Goilo from the City of Amsterdam; Christoph Gran and Tabea Waltenberg from ZOE Institute; Laure Malchair from Co-Create; Philippe Roman and Geraldine Thiry from ICHEC; Francesca Zecca from the University of Edinburgh; and Carlota Sanz and Rob Shorter from Doughnut Economics Action Lab.
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TEDx Talk celebrating Doughnut Practitioners
A TEDx Talk by Kate Raworth on how changemakers are bringing Doughnut Economics to life
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Yerevan embraces “Doughnut mindset”
Reprioritizing priorities; Yerevan embraces “Doughnut mindset” on its way to sustainable development
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Tokyo meets the Doughnut
The first meet-up event in Tokyo was held online and around 50 people got together.
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Doughnut of the Greater Paris Area (Grand Paris)
The Grand Paris has an incredible regional GDP but its Doughnut shows a different reality
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Video: Thrive v/s Growth
Motivational video to implement Creating City Portrait Methodology
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How we apply Doughnut Economics in Berlin
Talk: How to Think like a Doughnut Economist and Transform the City - a Journey of Donut Activism in Berlin
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The Amsterdam Doughnut Coalition in 10 minutes
A short 10 minute video about the journey of the Amsterdam Doughnut Coalition
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Community Hall Self-Build Education Project
Our community self-build education project turns the radical idea of Doughnut Economics into transformative action.
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Martin More
St. Pölten, Niederösterreich, Österreich
Supervision & Organisational Developement
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Shaktari Belew
Ashland, Oregon, United States of America
I am a life-long learner. From a early background in computer systems, which gave me a whole-systems lens through which to approach the rest of my life, I've been an educator, author, artist, Transition movement trainer/contributor (since 2008), Permaculture instructor/designer, group facilitator, complementary currency designer, researcher, parent, grandparent. I love seeing through multiple lenses and points-of-view. I guess you could say I am a Whole-Systems, Biomimicry, "DANCING ON MY LEARNING EDGES" explorer ... contributing, connecting, and loving, with joy.
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Alice Howard-Vyse
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Hi, I’m a co-convenor of Regen Sydney, a cross-sector movement to get Sydney inside the Doughnut. In my work as a Strategic Innovation consultant, I help teams & communities bring good ideas to life. I’m passionate about building resilience in the face of Climate Emergency and 100% committed to stoking the best of our humanity (imagination, curiosity, empathy, compassion, intelligence) to facilitate a just transition to a low-carbon future.
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Boris Kaiser
Chemnitz, Sachsen, Deutschland
Steps that led me to become a circular economy ambassador include twelve years of figure skating, fifteen years drumming in a noise rock band, ten years of journalism, some marketing management and right now economic development work since 2018. Multi-dimensionally educated would describe me best. I am willing and able to transform my home area and city into a prospering region, ready for the 21st century. I do this with the help of the many talented people of Chemnitz. Want to join us here in the European Capital of Culture 2025?!
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Lorenn Ruster
Australia
I’m fascinated by systemic structures of inequity, by human psychology and its relationship with power, and by how we are designing futures, subconsciously or overtly, every day, particularly in the realm of technology and AI development. I'm a former strategy consultant, an Acumen Global Fellow and a current Master of Applied Cybernetics student at Australian National University 3A Institute
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Eric Poettschacher
Berlin, Deutschland
My work is all about Energy Literacy and sense-making. I graduated from a Masters Programme for Media and Arts. As a producer and independent consultant I have been working for 25+ years mostly with creative businesses, international corporations and non-profits on projects focussing on whole systems change. I am trained in organisational development, large group facilitation and cross-cultural communications. My passion is shifting mental maps and assumptions that make up our daily routines and collective practices by utilising state of the art sense-making methods.
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Stephen Hinton
Hofors kommun, Gävleborgs län, Sverige
Transitioner, Eco-villager, interested in economics, commons and sustainability.
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Inge Schrijver
Den Haag, Zuid-Holland, Nederland