Sociate

Antanas Mockus recently ended his second term as Mayor of Bogotá, during which he used humor, persuasive technology, the media and his considerable grasp of social psychology to improve a wide array of quality-of-life measures dramatically, from reducing water consumption during a drought to lowering pedestrian traffic deaths and getting water service to all the city's residents.

Among his adventurous ideas are street mimes who poked fun at errant pedestrians and miscreant drivers; handing out 350,000 thumbs-up and thumbs-down cards so people could point out behaviors they wanted to reinforce or suppress; nights for women, when men were asked to stay home and watch the kids while women police kept order; and painting stars on the pavement where pedestrians had been killed. Here's another example, from a wonderful Harvard Gazette article that's making the rounds of cyberspace (thanks, Bill!):

When there was a water shortage, Mockus appeared on TV programs taking a shower and turning off the water as he soaped, asking his fellow citizens to do the same. In just two months people were using 14 percent less water, a savings that increased when people realized how much money they were also saving because of economic incentives approved by Mockus; water use is now 40 percent less than before the shortage.

Mockus also points to a central tenet:

"The distribution of knowledge is the key contemporary task," Mockus said. "Knowledge empowers people. If people know the rules, and are sensitized by art, humor, and creativity, they are much more likely to accept change."

Which does a nice job of framing art, humor and creativity as essential elements of creating change. Logic plus emotion.