The Project
An International Network of 100 Nomad Base Camps for Digital Nomads
Table of Contents
The Mission
- Create one hundred Nomad Base Camps (NBC) around the world where residents are owners and can travel at the same time.
- A NBC is a cohousing adapted for Digital Nomads which allows to create an enriching community living environment where resident-owners can create lasting bonds.
- In each NBC, there will be a Community Building Period during which resident owners agree to stay on site for a few months per year (typically: 4 months) and can travel the rest of the year.
- Create an international network that will allow resident-owners to exchange with other NBCs according to their preferences.
Motivation
I currently reside with a collective of 9 people in the quaint little village of Eastman in the province of Quebec in Canada. We share the space of a former yoga center. Decisions are made through a consent process based on sociocracy. We organize potlucks once a month followed by cultural activities that take place in the old yoga room, which made it possible to create an incredibly rich human network. It is an incredibly rich and stimulating lifestyle. Our way of life is close to co-living while differing from it on an important point.
According to curiosityiskeys.com, which is dedicated to researching the rental forms of the future, co-living is defined as follows:
Co-living is a form of housing managed by a professional third party, in which residents share spaces and/or services in order to access a better quality of life. It differs from shared accommodation, student residences, traditional rental (furnished or not) or appartment-hotels through the integration of services and the presence of a community.
Our lifestyle is close to co-living but we are self-managed, i.e. we make decisions together in accordance with the principles of sociocracy based on consent (different from consensus). But since we are tenants, we have no decision to make regarding the property.
There are two elements that I would like to introduce with this Nomad Base Camp proposal:
1) Become an owner rather than a tenant
Being a tenant makes residents feel less connected to the project. They end up leaving the place much faster than if they were owners. And probably even more frequently in the case of a nomadic lifestyle. Social links are thus perpetually broken and are therefore perpetually need to be rebuilt.
This formula is much closer to the concept of cohousing. According with Wikipedia
Cohousing is similar to coliving, distinguished by individual units in Cohousing with personal amenities such as kitchens and bathrooms, while coliving involves the communal use of shared bathrooms and common spaces such as kitchens and living rooms.
The nomadic lifestyle means that we are constantly forced to pay for rent. The costs are therefore much higher than if we were owners.
2) Reconciling nomadic and sedentary lifestyles
Our lifestyle is somewhat sedentary. On the other hand, the nomadic lifestyle lacks a foundation. How to reconcile a nomadic lifestyle and create strong links with a group of people?
The Proposition
Become Homad: a nomad with a home (contraction of home and nomad).
1) Become an owner
Residents will be co-owners of a building (called a Nomad Base Camp: NBC). Residents agree to stay on site for a certain period of time per year: typically 4 months. That’s what we call the Community Building Period. The rest of the year, they are free to travel or stay put. This creates lasting bonds between the residents who meet together every year.
The governance will be based on NVC and sociocracy. The vast majority of projects make no mention of the mode of decision-making in the community. It is utopian to believe that there will be no differences of opinion or conflicts between the residents. A project that does not incorporate these principles from the start is doomed to failure. That is why each NBC will operate according to proven decision-making principles in community: NVC, sociocracy, Restorative Circles. For more details, see the section on Governance
2) Create an international NBC network
A hundred NBCs will be created around the world. All NBCs will promote teleworking. So high-speed internet connection, co-working space and atmosphere conducive to work. Each NBC will be able to propose a particular theme: surfing, skiing, diving, music, family, language, etc…
NBC Freedom Chart: Each Base Camp is completely independent and administered by its owners. They can change any part of the proposed Basic Agreement at their will.
The homads can thus make exchanges with other NBCs in the world according to their interests. This allows us to have a mixed way of life: sedentary and nomadic, to create a global social and economic support network, to benefit from tips and advice from other homads and significantly reduce travel and subsistence costs.
Governance
The vast majority of co-living projects avoid addressing the issue of conflicts between residents. It is utopian to think that conflicts or differences of opinion will not arise. Therefore, we believe that if this issue is not addressed from the start, projects may have difficulty surviving. See the book Creating a Life Together.
This is why we put in place mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts from the start of the co-living project. We do not pretend to reinvent the wheel. Numerous groups (NPOs, collectives, NGOs, private companies) have developed and applied principles that have been proven for decades. Here are the principles that will be implemented: CNV, sociocracy, holacracy, Opale and restorative circles.
Each resident must agree with these principles of decision-making and life in community and are expected to follow a basic training (about a week).
For more details, see the section on Governance.
Co-Housing vs. Co-Living
The culture of a cohousing community is fundamentally different than mainstream American culture cohousing.org
According to curiosityiskeys.com, which is a R&D vehicle, dedicated to exploration of lifestyles and future real estate:
Co-living is a form of housing managed by a professional third party, in which residents share spaces and/or services in order to access a better quality of life. It differs from shared accommodation, student residences, traditional rental (furnished or not) or appartment-hotels through the integration of services and the presence of a community.
In this vision of things, a co-living is entirely managed by a third party who attends to all aspects of management. The services and activities are provided by this manager. It is a form of all-included for nomads. The question of possible conflicts between residents is never addressed because it is easy to simply leave the co-living, since the links and commitments are not very strong. In addition, this management represents significant costs and residents do not necessarily want to be entertained in their place of residence.
There is no mention of a co-living administered by its occupants. It is this lifestyle that we want to promote. This is why we promote proven modes of governance for self-managed communities.
We believe that the challenges are greater to reconcile the preferences of all within the framework of a life in community, but on the other hand the quality of life obtained in community is much more enriching.
From Wikipedia: CoHousing
Cohousing differs from standard condominium development and master-planned subdivisions because the development is designed by, or with considerable input from, its future residents. Common facilities are based on the actual needs of the residents, rather than on what a developer thinks will help sell units. Turnover in cohousing developments is typically very low, and there is usually a waiting list for units to become available.
In the graph presented by curiosityiskeys, we have added this missing category more suitable for NBC: Cohousing