¶ Overview
Pop ups are temporary meetings of dunbar-number sized groups of people who colive with a cocreated schedule and cowork on meaningful projects for 1-2 months for the purpose of experimenting with new ways of community building, experimenting with new ways of living and governance/coordination.
¶ Purpose
To foster a global network of communities to advance humanity by creating playgrounds at the intersection of free and open technology, health, science and social innovation.
- Addresses modern loneliness epidemic
- Combines traditional community with future innovation
- Parallel to democratic confederalist movements
- Focus on decentralized, participatory governance
¶ History
¶ Lineage
The following is reproduced from a Devcon7 talk.^1^
### Enlightenment Salons
* 17th – 18th Century
* Description: Social gatherings, often hosted by influential women, where intellectuals discussed philosophy, politics, and science.
* Problem Addressed: Responded to restrictive societal norms and censorship by creating spaces for free thought and debate.
* Impact: Spread Enlightenment ideas, promoting reason, individual rights, and reforms that influenced modern democracies.
### The Chautauqua Movement
* Years Active: 1874 – present
* Founded in Chautauqua, New York but spread throughout the country
* Description: Nationwide adult education and social movement.
* What was it? Brought lectures, music, and cultural activities to rural America.
### 19th Century Utopian Communities
* Early to Mid-19th Century
* Description: Intentional communities experimenting with communal living and shared property.
* Problem Addressed: Responded to social inequalities and industrialization's negative effects by seeking ideal, cooperative societies.
* Examples: New Harmony (1825), Brook Farm (1841).
* Impact: Influenced later social reform movements and ongoing discussions about communal living and cooperative economics.
### Black Mountain College
* Years Active: 1933 – 1957
* Description: An experimental college emphasizing arts and holistic education.
* Purpose: Founded by John Andrew Rice in response to rigid traditional education.
* Faculty and Students: John Cage (composer), Merce Cunningham (choreographer), Buckminster Fuller (architect who invented geodesic dome there), Willem de Kooning (painter)
* Influenced a lot of American culture through avant-garde art, music, and progressive education.
### Commune Movement
* 1960s – 1970s
* Description: Countercultural groups forming intentional communities focused on shared living, peace, and alternative lifestyles.
* Problem Addressed: Responded to dissatisfaction with mainstream societal values, materialism, and opposition to the Vietnam War.
* Statistics: Estimated 2,000–3,000 communes in the U.S. during the peak.
* Impact: Challenged conventional norms, contributing to environmentalism and alternative education growth.
### Esalen Institute
* Founded: 1962
* Description: A center for humanistic alternative education exploring human potential, consciousness, and personal growth.
* Problem Addressed: Responded to the constraints of conventional psychology and spirituality, promoting holistic personal development.
* Impact: Central to the Human Potential Movement, influencing psychotherapy, alternative medicine, and spiritual practices.
* Hosted influential thinkers like Abraham Maslow and Alan Watts.
¶ Auroville
- Years active: 1968 — Present
- Description: An international township in India aiming for human unity and sustainable living.
- Problem Addressed: Responded to global divisions and environmental degradation by creating a place dedicated to peace and harmony.
- Residents: Over 2,800 people from more than 50 countries.
- Impact: Continues as a pioneering experiment in sustainable living and multicultural coexistence.
¶ Santa Fe Institute
- Years active: 1984 — Present
- Description: A research institute dedicated to the study of complex systems through interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Problem Addressed: Responded to the need for a space where researchers could tackle complex problems beyond traditional academic boundaries.
- Impact: Advanced complexity science, influencing economics, biology, computer science, and fostering innovative research approaches.
¶ Burning Man
- Years Active: 1986 – Present
- Description: An annual event creating a temporary city focused on art, self-expression, and community.
- Problem Addressed: Responded to a yearning for radical self-expression and community outside consumerist society.
- Attendance: Grown from 20 participants to around 80,000.
- Impact: Influenced contemporary art, community building, and the concept of participatory culture.
¶ Devcon
The annual Ethereum developer conference. Functions as a gravity well for the pop-up ecosystem — villages frequently cluster around it geographically and temporally.
¶ Zuzalu
The first contemporary pop up city experiment in Montenegro, March 25-May 25, 2023. Kicked off the subsequent pop-up village trend sometimes called the "ZuVillage" movement.
¶ ZuConnect
Second major Zuzalu popup, Istanbul, Oct–Nov 2023. ~300 residents, held immediately before DevConnect.
¶ Ecosystem
¶ Current Status
- Started March-May 2023 in Montenegro with Zuzalu
- Expanded to ~20 groups worldwide within a year
- Present on every continent
¶ Notable Events 2
¶ ShanHaiWoo
- Dates: Aug 5 - Aug 31 2023
- Location: Jilin, China
- Themes: Web3, AI, Creator Economy, Coding Camp
- Residents: 121
- Notable Software: Social Layer, Safe, .bit
- Key Features: Chinese mythology theme, NFT-based event participation system
¶ MuChiangMai
- Dates: Sep 15 - Oct 31 2023
- Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Themes: Web3, ZK
- Key Features: Developer hostel, mentor hotel system, ZK bootcamp focus
¶ Zuconnect
- Location: Istanbul
- Theme: Web3
- Notable Project: Zuzagora
¶ Wamotopia
- Note: Pre-dated Zuzalu but second iteration was Zuzalu-inspired
¶ Vitalia
- Dates: Jan 6 - Feb 29, 2024
- Location: Prospera, Roatan Island, Honduras
- Themes: Longevity, Startup Societies, AI
- Residents: ~200 (150 max at any time)
- Notable Software: Social Layer, viaPrize
- Key Features: Free breakfast, sunrise meditations, focus on work-life balance
¶ Other Notable Pop-up Villages
- Zanzalu
- ZuBerlin
- MuAccra
- MuBuenos
- Aleph
- ZuVillage Georgia
- Zuitserland
- Zelar City
- Edge City
- Chiang Mai Archipelago 2024
map of pop up cities by @jakobbb in the Pop Up Commons telegram.