John Lydon
Mechanical EngineerJohn is exploring a future economy that provides for all of us based on principles of solidarity, sustainability, and cooperation
green FUTURESDISTRICT 8 & 9
ABOUT JOHN
John is a mechanical engineer and local organizer passionate about the economy and how it provides for our communities. After starting his career with NASA he pivoted to clean energy and has organized around housing and transit in SF. He is now focused on the future of economics and finding the balance between providing for all people and respecting ecological limits.
INTERESTSSocial Futures, Degrowth, Solidarity Economy
VISIONA city whose economy and culture prioritize strengthening community relationships, providing fundamental resources for all, reducing ecological impacts, and offering meaningful work opportunities rather than developing the wealth of isolated individuals. This is a San Francisco where democratic businesses thrive through relationships with their community, financial institutions invest in the city based on merit rather than high returns, and citizens feel secure, connected, and empowered in their neighbourhoods.
SF Market of the Future
Exploring what a market can be. In 50 years, how will you find food, clothing, art, and friends? In an age of rising inequality, AI disruption, climate change, and loneliness, we need to explore new ways to support each other. The Market of the Future is a goods marketplace, social experiment, community convening, and rebellion against dystopia. We are bringing together businesses and community groups who are already building a better future, one based on solidarity, sustainability, and cooperation.
July 9, 2026 • 6-10pmThe Faight Collective
John’s Picks
Check out some of the materials and resources that have helped shape John’s visions for what could be.
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia is a Hugo, Locus, and Nebula award-winning 1974 science fiction novel, set in the Hainish Cycle, that explores anarchism, capitalism, and the nature of utopia through the journey of physicist Shevek.
Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
This is a primer that brings you to a tangible world where anyone can understand systems and engage with them in meaningful ways. The problems we face – war, hunger, poverty, climate change, racism, gender-based violence cannot be solved by quick fixes in isolation. We need to see the whole system and reach deeper to the structures and mindsets that are at play. Written with a hopeful and visionary tone, Thinking in Systems helps readers overcome confusion and helplessness, which is a first step in the work of change.
Better Lives for All on “Upstream” podcast with Jason Hickel
Jason Hickel is a scholar working where anti-capitalist economic theory meets practice. In this podcast, one of his core points is that regrowth doesn’t need to mean austerity, and that we have more than enough for the entire world to live beautiful, vibrant, and comfortable lives if our resources were shared better both within countries and between countries.