Here are the highlights and the outlook for the coming period!

• #Design has started drafting their contribution; they are developing analyses for urban integration, DIY potentials, sustainability, affordability and risk assesment. They are looking forward to co-design the specifics with everyone involved. Check out the shared document on Slack!  
• #Community started meeting every other week where they also welcome newcomers. They are working on a draft of core principles, a survey with the neighbours, and a database of potential partners. You can also sign up for tasks to help them out!
• #Finance had some difficulties due to some members steping out and are looking for reinforcements. Luckily, our architects already worked out a preliminary budget which can serve as the basis for developing a model that suits our needs!
• #Process has evaluated various tools for project management, developed some preliminary communication guidelines and convened the spokescouncil. They are now busy preparing the next General Assembly!

Meanwhile, the biggest update is…

THE TENDER WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK!!! ⏳🧨🎉

Which means that we gotta get all hands on deck:

• Next Saturday (17 Nov @1pm in NieuwLand) we will convene a second spokescouncil to study the tender in detail; a representative from each WG needs to be present, so please sign up on Slack!
• We are calling for a General Assembly in one month (9 Dec @11am in NieuwLand), where the tender criteria will be explained in detail, Design & Community WGs will present concrete scenarios, and the feedback will be collected to synthesise a financial model. The outcomes of this meeting will serve as the basis for our application, so be there or be square!
• Next week we will also propose a timeline for upcoming period, and will do a ‘role call’ to evaluate our capacity. We encourage everyone to do a realistic estimation of their availabilities for the next three months!

If you’re receiving this and you still haven’t joined a working group (and you want to!), join the Slack here. You should just have to fill in your email address and make yourself a password, and then you’re in!

It’s now or never folks, let’s do it! 💪👷‍♀️👷‍♂️

Radek & Selj, on behalf of the #process group,

The doodle has spoken: we will have our BBQ on Sunday the 2nd of September on Archimedesplantsoen!

We will be starting at 14:00, and expect to finish at around 18:00, so everyone (including kids!) can join. This will give us all the chance to get to know each other, the location and the neighbours a little better.

This will also be a great opportunity to get the workgroups started! There will be plenty of time for workgroups to present themselves, recruit new, interested people and discuss together over food how they will proceed. Please make sure to sign up on Slack beforehand and express your interest in joining your preferred working group there!

We will make sure there will be nice food and drinks, but everyone is invited to contribute to the potluck! Please be mindful that we both want to cater to a broad range of people, from vegans and veggie lovers to neighbours who read BBQ and expect meat.

In case of mild rain or wind, we will be still convening at the location and start building our dream house right away. In case of heavy showers, we will swiftly move the gathering indoors at NieuwLand.

If you want to help out with any of the logistics, please get in touch with Niels or shout on the #community channel on Slack. There is also a Facebook event to share and for last minute updates.

See you in a few weeks! 🥦🌶🥕🥗

Two weeks ago we had the second Nieuw[er]Land info-night. Around 25 people shared their experiences, visions and energies for building a postcapitalist urban commune. The presentations can be found here and here.

This time we broke out into four groups to discuss the needs, tasks and roles of the Finances, Design, Community and Process commissions. An outline for each group is available: please sign in to on our Slack channel, join the conversation and sign up for pending tasks!

The third (and final) open kick-off event will be a BBQ on the location of our dreams!!! It will be a great occasion to meet our (future) neighbours as well as to have a casual get together for workgroups. To make sure many of us will be present, please enter your availabilities in this doodle! We will get back at you with practicalities once we have set a date.

August is usually a calm month, so we hope that you will find the time to help us get started! You can always mail us if you’re confused about Slack, or need suggestions on what to do next. Remember to reach out to your friends who may be interested, so that they can still get on board!

 🔨🔧🔩

Last Monday, our very first public meeting brought together 20 enthusiasticpeople with diverse skills and experiences —all dedicated to make a postcapitalist urban commune a reality! We started with some presentations on Soweto, NieuwLand and the new project; you can find the slides here and here. After a round of introductions we split in two groups to discuss the material (design & sustainability) and immaterial (process & community) aspects more in depth. Below are some points that stood out:

DESIGN / SUSTAINABILITY

• The envelope (general dimensions of the building) is subject to change to better accommodate sound isolation specifications.
• The first phase of the application is more about the process and financial model and less about the design.
• There is a cooperative in the neighbourhood to use the heat from the data center nearby, we will get in touch with them.
• We are dedicated to open-source our process and models to influence other projects.
• The building could mark the location with a strong identity, inspiring vision.

PROCESS / COMMUNITY

• We strive for an intentionally diverse community, with intergenerational, queer and racial representation, as well as abilities, origins and incomes.
• “I want this project to happen, even if I don’t get to live there myself.”
• Even if this specific application fails, we have the structure to keep working together, so we can carry this project elsewhere if necessary.
• How could we involve the already-existing community and NOT to be a gentrification force against our will?
• How much would we be comfortable with compromises, or alternatively, how much are we willing to try and bend the rules?

NEXT STEPS

• check out the Tumblr where you can post inspirations or questions!
• signup on Slack to get more actively involved in the process!
• spread the word about the next public meeting on 15 July 7pm!
• save the date: 11 or 12 August for BBQ at Archimedesplantsoen!

…and let’s keep dreaming and scheming! 🏗