Valley of the Commons

Valley of the Commons is a four-week pop-up village by a nascent network society envisioning life beyond extractive systems.

Over the last few years, popups have evolved into a cultural phenomenon: distributed communities gathering for multiple weeks to test new forms of living, governance, and collective purpose. These experiments have produced invaluable insights into technical innovations, governance mechanisms and financial tools enabling future network societies.

Building on that momentum, we believe it's time to shift gears - to make the social, productive, and infrastructural commons as tangible as the tech stack beneath.

The Popup is designed as a practice-oriented phase of preparation toward our own permanence. Over four weeks, participants will actively explore central aspects of a future settlement in theory and practice, while building relationships, clarifying shared priorities, and co-shaping the first real building blocks of the commons-centric network society waiting to be born.

The program will revolve around three guiding themes, positioned in the context of current global transformations and the renewed relevance of the commons:

• Cosmo-local production & open value accounting

• Nomad-friendly communal life in housing co-ops

• Horizontal governance & funding mechanisms

Week 1

Return of the Commons

24 – 30 August 2026

To set the scene, we begin with a five‑day course led by Michel Bauwens and Adam Arvidsson, two of the most insightful and engaging contemporary thinkers on the commons. Expect a wild ride through history, economic and sociological theory, peppered with anecdotes, examples, and insights.

Week 2

Cosmo-local Production & Open Value Accounting (OVA)

31 August – 6 September 2026

In the second week, we shift from macro-narratives to the mechanics of how a village economy could actually function. Through a mix of theory sessions and hands-on workshops, participants explore how global knowledge commons and local production capacities can sustain livelihoods, small-scale industry, and community resilience.

Week 3

Future Living

7 – 13 September 2026

Week three turns toward how we might actually live together – architecturally, legally, ecologically, and socially. We explore cooperative housing concepts, map local resources and unused buildings, and examine the ecological potentials of the valley as a site for long-term habitation.

Week 4

Governance & Funding Models

14 – 20 September 2026

The fourth week brings everything into the domain of stewardship: how we organize, decide, invest, and protect what we build together. We explore participatory governance frameworks, cooperative legal structures, long-term investment models, and mechanisms for holding shared assets in trust.

To learn more, head over to our website or watch this lil video. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out via email at team@valleyofthecommons.com, we're a friendly bunch!