Building Pathways for Doing & Being Together

My understanding of community blossomed in my early twenties, when I discovered something profound: while our modern world operates on rules, structures, resources, transactions and commerce, it's our deep, lasting relationships that give life its true vitality & meaning. These include being healthy, enjoying a friendly, safe & fair society as well as a robust protected natural environment. While casual friendships are important, the kind of connections that can adapt, learn & grow are the elements which form community. Relationships that weather storms together, share daily practical support, and grow stronger through shared experiences. I began to see community as the vital bridge between our private selves and the wider world. This personal revelation has grown into a lifelong commitment to helping others discover and build their own paths to community.

As I entered my thirties, my perspective evolved. Communities aren't rigid, enclosed circles, but rather dynamic, overlapping networks of connections that can nurture both social and environmental wellbeing. They're made up of smaller groups bound together by shared interests and values, each contributing their unique flavour to the whole. The art of community building lies in finding and nurturing these points of connection, creating common ground where different groups can meet, support each other, and thrive together while caring for our shared resources.

This insight led me to envision what I call the "hubway" concept – a living network of interconnected communities. Picture it as a fractal pattern, starting with local needs and naturally clustering into regional networks, while remaining open to wider connections. Each node represents a point of common interest, with certain hubs emerging as natural centres of coordination. This network structure helps build resilience, fostering both social equity and environmental stewardship at every level.

To bring this vision to life, I’m seeking partners to co-create spaces that welcome people at every level of engagement, ensuring accessibility and fairness. In our hybrid enterprise model, casual visitors can grow into regular patrons, and eventually become stakeholders. Similarly, workers can journey from occasional participation to full ownership stakes. While traditional equity and debt have their place, they make way for community ownership through prepaid credits – claims on future value. As private ownership transitions to community ownership, these investments support new initiatives that strengthen both social and environmental sustainability.

Four foundational pillars bring this to life: a co-working hub buzzing with shared energy and reduced environmental impact, a car-sharing network making mobility sustainable while building neighbourhood connections, a co-housing haven fostering daily cooperation and shared resources, and a café serving as the heart of it all – a place where local food, culture, and relationships flourish. These weave together into a co-living model where doing & being together becomes natural, and where sustainable practices are part of daily life.

Most importantly, these spaces nurture those significant, sustained & evolving relationships I first recognised as vital. When people share not just a coffee or a common café, workspace, ride service or living space, but weave their daily rhythms, challenges, and celebrations, something remarkable happens. The casual "hello" becomes a shared meal using locally-sourced food, the borrowed tool leads to a shared project improving our community spaces, and the quick coffee chat transforms into lasting friendships that support both personal and collective wellbeing. In this way, we create true communities where people can put down roots, support each other, and build meaningful lives together while protecting and enriching our shared world.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​