My experience in Seattle was 2x − 3x more Village-like than my experience in Berkeley. Caveat that I also didn’t live in Berkeley, first I lived in Oakland near Leverage and now I live in San Francisco.
Seattle’s community is small enough to have one primary group house where parties happen and people congregate, so it really felt like one extended social group, whereas in Berkeley it feels like there are many. Some people in Seattle also feel very proud of their community (myself included, even though I’ve moved here), which to me suggests a village-ness. I get the sense that in Seattle the focus is more the Village than the Mission, which then has the problem you mentioned of agenty mission-oriented people moving to other places.
I do think Seattle, like Berkeley, should aspire to be a “true village”, since many people there desire this, and the benefits are large. I also think having multiple successful villages would strengthen the [global] community overall. I think Seattle has the advantage that it is small and centralized, and Berkeley has the advantage that it has more Mission energy.
BTW, I’m regretting trying to use the word Village for two different things, interested in people having suggestions:
Term 1: the thing where there’s an organizing structure that prioritizes “being human” over Impact
Term 2: the thing where there’s an organizing structure for 150+ people, which is necessarily shaped differently than the organizing structure for something that is 30-50 people.
Regarding hubs: I’ve gotten a sense that Seattle is also pretty village shaped, though I am not confident.
My experience in Seattle was 2x − 3x more Village-like than my experience in Berkeley. Caveat that I also didn’t live in Berkeley, first I lived in Oakland near Leverage and now I live in San Francisco.
Seattle’s community is small enough to have one primary group house where parties happen and people congregate, so it really felt like one extended social group, whereas in Berkeley it feels like there are many. Some people in Seattle also feel very proud of their community (myself included, even though I’ve moved here), which to me suggests a village-ness. I get the sense that in Seattle the focus is more the Village than the Mission, which then has the problem you mentioned of agenty mission-oriented people moving to other places.
I do think Seattle, like Berkeley, should aspire to be a “true village”, since many people there desire this, and the benefits are large. I also think having multiple successful villages would strengthen the [global] community overall. I think Seattle has the advantage that it is small and centralized, and Berkeley has the advantage that it has more Mission energy.
Nod.
BTW, I’m regretting trying to use the word Village for two different things, interested in people having suggestions:
Term 1: the thing where there’s an organizing structure that prioritizes “being human” over Impact
Term 2: the thing where there’s an organizing structure for 150+ people, which is necessarily shaped differently than the organizing structure for something that is 30-50 people.