As groups design and construct their own Network States and cities, they require infrastructure to make their plans become reality. Build Cities aims to make that process simple by providing finance and governance tools. On this episode of Campfire, Jackson chats with Angelo Alessio, Founder and Protocol Architect of Build Cities to talk about his career path, Network States, what Build Cities is, and why their work is important. 

Topics Covered: 

• Introduction to Build Cities — (1:25)
• Angelo’s Career Path — (2:25)
• Introduction to the Network State— (6:36)
• Build Protocol and Its Market — (9:54)
• Tools for Network States — (14:00)
• Build’s Roadmap — (15:59)
• Future of Passports — (17:32)
• Phase 2 of Build’s Roadmap — (19:57)
• City Processes Moving On-Chain — (28:00)
• The Sovereignty of Network States — (32:17)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

Read more urbanist content at The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links: 

Build Cities’ Website 

Build Cities on Twitter

Angelo on LinkedIn

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by @Alisonclaire and @PhilippeIze

In this episode, Jackson chats with Patrick Lydon— the writer behind CityAsNature.org and The Possible City Substack — about natural farming, pocket farms, community engagement, and using human waste to power our cities.  

Topics Covered: 

• Introduction to Patrick and His Career — (2:07)
• Problems Patrick Thinks Are Worth Solving — (3:40)
• The Principles of Natural Farming — (5:05)
• How Field Plowing Began — (7:44)
• Why Weeds And Insects Are Not Your Enemies — (9:02)
• How to Incentivize Natural Farming — (11:30)
• Cities and Natural Farming — (13:10)
• Pocket Farms — (15:50)
• How to Engage Communities — (18:37)
• Bomunsan Forest Protocols — (20:19)
• The Right of Way for Rivers and Allowing Nature to Curate — (23:45)
• Using Waste for Power — (25:32)
• Keep in Touch with Patrick — (28:41)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

Read more urbanist content at The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links: 

The Possible City Substack

Food, Earth, and Happiness Short Film

City as Nature Website 

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by @Alisonclaire and @PhilippeIze

Today, Jackson is chatting with author and developer Joel Anderson. They discuss how to attract young professionals in an era of remote work and how to develop new neighborhoods.

Topics Covered: 

• Joel’s Life and Career Path — (2:45)
• The Value Proposition of Cities — (5:50)
• How Cities Can Attract Talent — (8:40)
• Creating Programs to Attract Remote Workers — (12:35)
• Economic Development and Ownership in the 21st Century— (16:30)
• “The Right Kind of Ownership” in Cities — (18:27)
• The Tragedies of the Privates — (21:15)
• Cabin and Network Ownership — (25:10)
• What West Village Is  — (25:52)
• The Importance of Small Business Owners — 28:12
• Retail in the US Versus Europe — (31:30)
• Funding for the West Village — (38:02)
• Joel’s Experience Using an e-Bike — (41:25)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

Read more urbanist content at The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links: 

Joel on Twitter

Joel on Substack

Jackson on Substack

Episode Credits:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by @Alisonclaire and @PhilippeIze

Seasteads are floating, eco-restorative, politically autonomous communities in the middle of the ocean. The Director of Development of the Seasteading Institute (Carly Jackson) joins Campfire to discuss the Seasteading through practical, technological, and legal lenses. 

Topics Covered: 

• Introduction to Seasteading — (2:00)
• The History of Seasteading — (2:54)
• The Fans of Seasteading — (3:57)
• Carly’s Interest in Seasteading — (6:17)
• The Technology behind Seasteading — (7:55)
• The Various Approaches to Seasteading—  (10:31)
• What Seasteading Communities Could Produce — (12:42)
• What the Seasteading Institute Does and Seasteading Autonomy — (15:28)
• Countries and Flagging Registries — (18:35)
• Panama’s Flagging Registry — (19:55)
• Pirates and Safety — (20:55)
• Seasteading Design — (24:50)
• Product Cities — (27:00)
• O-Tech Core Technologies — (27:57)
• The Size of Seasteading Communities — (28:40)
• The Eight Great Moral Imperatives of Seasteading — (29:35)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

Read more urbanist content at The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links: 

Carly on LinkedIn

Seasteading Today Podcast (Spotify)

The Seasteading Institute on Twitter 

The Seasteading Institute’s Website

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by @Alisonclaire and @PhilippeIze

Catawba Digital Economic Zone (CatawbaDEZ) has come out of the Catawba Nation to revolutionize the way people incorporate their financial technology and web3 ventures. Jackson and CEO Joseph McKinney sat down to discuss what the Catawba Nation is, what a DEZ is, the benefits of working with CatawbaDEZ, and how this DEZ came to be. 

Topics Covered: 

• Introduction to the Catawba — (2:00)
• Why a Digital Economic Zone — (4:55)
• How Delaware Built its Reputation — (7:15)
• Catawba’s Nimble Regulatory Body — (9:25)
• Catawba’s Digital Asset Law — (9:55)
• Advantages of using Catawba for DAOs– (13:33)
• The Relationship Between CatawbaDEZ and the People — (18:09)
• Catawba’s Stablecoin Regulation — (24:22)
• Growing the Catawba Team – (25:50)
• The Vision for CatawbaDEZ — (27:15)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

Read more urbanist content at The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links: 

CatawbaDEZ on Twitter 

Joseph on LinkedIn 

CatawbaDEZ’s Website 

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by @Alisonclaire and @PhilippeIze

 As it enters a new season soon, Cabin City Council Members Jon Hillis and Phil Levin join for an episode to talk about Cabin’s vision of building a Network City.  Jon and Phil discuss the evolution of Cabin in its short history, the new coliving Pass, Cabin’s core values, and Import Replacement Theory. 

Topics Covered: 

• Board Game Preferences of Future of Cities Enthusiasts — (1:40)
• Cabin’s Change from a “Decentralized City” to a “Network City”  —  (4:15)
• Why Network Cities are Important Now — (6:38)
• The Cabin Lingo — (10:08)
• The “Chapters” of Cabin — (12:37)
• Problems Cabin Faced Early On — (14:51)
• The Cabin Coliving Pass — (17:40)
• Neighborhood Zero Expansion — (20:30)
• DIY Building for People That Aren’t Builders — (23:04)
• Consistent Values Across Cabin Neighborhoods — (23:55)
• The Ideal Cabin Neighborhood and Squad Purchases — (27:20)
• Jane Jacobs and Import Replacement Theory — (32:47)
• Whole Earth Catalog — (36:46)
• Bear Market Advice — (39:20)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

Read more urbanist content at The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links: 

Whole Earth Catalog by Stewart Brand

Squad Wealth

Cabin’s Website

Cabin on Twitter

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by  @Alisonclaire and  @PhilippeIze

Próspera is a budding platform city on the Honduran Island of Roatán operating under the Zone for Employment and Economic Development (ZEDE) framework. The city aims to provide a place where entrepreneurs and businesses can work freely and efficiently. In this episode, Jackson sits down with co-Founder and Chief Development Officer of Próspera, Gabriel Delgado, about the project. They talk about the city’s goals, the ZEDE system, the considerations that come with being in Honduras, the stage Próspera is at right now, and the government rhetoric surrounding the project. 

Topics Covered: 

• Introduction to Prospera and the Vision — (2:36)
• Cities that Inspired Próspera — (7:10)
• What Próspera wants to take from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Dubai — (8:55)
• ZEDE Framework in Honduras — (12:10)
• Regime Uncertainty in Honduras — (14:50)
• Gabriel’s Role as Chief Development Officer — (16:30)
• Sustainable Development and Building Progress — (18:35)
• Próspera’s Location on the Honduran Mainland — (21:25)
• Incentives and Regulatory Environments — (22:40)
• Próspera Residency Systems — (26:45)
• Rhetoric and Challenges for Próspera —  (29:00)
• Considering the Islanders — (31:05)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

Read more urbanist content at The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links: 

Learn more at Prospera's website at prospera.hn and check out on-site residence options at https://www.dunaresidences.com/why-choose-us

Gabriel on Twitter and LinkedIn

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by @Alisonclaire and @PhilippeIze

What if the housing of the future wasn’t built on site but instead built in a factory and then shipped and set up within minutes of arriving? That’s what Jeff Wilson of Jupe and Natalie Rens of Astreia are working on. On this exciting dual-guest episode of Campfire, Jeff and Natalie chat with Jackson about the speed of prefab, how homes can be more tech-enabled, the favorable regulatory environment in Texas + Florida versus California, and how entire cities could be made with prefab. 

Topics Covered:

• Introduction to Astreia — (2:39)
• Introduction to Jupe — (3:22)
• Jupe’s Structures – (4:16)
• How Astreia thinks about building for Mars — (6:50)
• What prefab is and its challenges — (9:52)
• B2B and prefab — (14:30)
• Prototypes and what Jeff + Natalie would do differently — (15:18)
• “Tesla-fying” the home — (20:33)
• Regulatory considerations — (23:40)
• Prefab cities and Habitat Zero  — (26:15)
• Dynamic building types and Jupes at sea — (28:00)
• Non-attachment and city infrastructure — (30:30)
• Astreia’s Habitat selection — (32:45)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

Read more urbanist content at The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links: 

Jupe’s and Astreia’s websites

Jupe and Astreia on Twitter 

Jeff and Natalie on Twitter 

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by  @PhilippeIze

Software engineer Zach Caceres writes the newsletter Startup Cities where he talks about startup cities: physical neighborhoods built by corporations. On this episode of Campfire, Zach and Jackson chat about the difference between startup and charter cities, the problem with grandiose city planning, the struggles with zoning rules, the social side of future cities, product vs. platform cities, and the tools needed for city operations.

Topics Covered: 

• Introduction to Zach and Startup Cities — (00:31)
• Social Technology — (1:59)
• Key Terms and Definitions — (2:35)
• Startup Cities Institute — (8:37)
• What Zach Would Do with Access to Infinite Cash — (12:55)
• Struggles with Zoning Regulations — (17:24)
• Metrics for Success in Startup Cities — (22:57)
• The Network State — (29:00)
• Product Cities vs. Platform Cities — (30:49)
• Scaling Platforms and Products — (34:05)
• DAOs and Landbanks — (36:49)
• The City Tech Stack — (44:23)
• Sad History and Excitement in the City Building Space — (49:22)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links:

Startup Cities’ Website

Zach’s website 

Zach’s Twitter

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by  @Alisonclaire and  @PhilippeIze

Nestled in the California Desert, Mars College can be thought of as a pop up city. It rises from the sand, disassembles, and then comes back. This week, Jackson sat down with Gene and Freeman from Mars College. They chat first about the mission behind and the logistics of constructing a city from scratch each cohort before diving into daily life. When you’re so remote, communal living is a big part of life, so the three talk about shared responsibilities and the food situation at Mars. Finally, they talk about the college side of the group— how people learn from one another.

Topics Covered: 

• Introduction to Mars College — (00:35)
• What it means to be a “pop up city” – (2:55)
• The layout and different types of spaces at Mars College — (7:01)
• Utilities at Mars College — (8:55)
• Community and responsibilities — (12:01)
• Food at Mars College — (13:59)
• Academics at Mars College — (16:39)
• Study groups — (19:45)
• Mars survival items – (25:22)

Campfire is brought to you by Cabin - a network of coliving neighborhoods for nature-loving creators and remote workers. You can learn more at the following links:

Website (cabin.city)

Twitter

Discord

The Future of Living Newsletter

Episode Links:

Mars College’s website 

Gene on Twitter

Cabin’s website

Episode Credit:

Hosted by @JacksonSteger

Sound Engineering by @Prodcolin

Videos and Clips by @McdonnellCallum 

Produced by @PhilippeIze

Distribution by @Alisonclaire and @PhilippeIze