Origins of pop-up villages and Zuzalu

New @greenpillnet pod out today! 🌐

In this episode of the VDAO × Greenpill Antifragile Network States mini-series, host Kris Miller talks with Chance McAllister, one of the early builders shaping the pop-up village movement and researching how global communities form identity, belonging, and support systems.

Chance McAllister shares how a simple Discord link created a high-talent online community, how pop-up cities exploded from one experiment to dozens worldwide, and why digital nomads are searching for deeper social infrastructure. They explore informal safety nets, civil society history, global "dark talent," and what we can learn from groups like the Mennonites as we design the next generation of network societies.

A thoughtful, human-centered conversation for anyone exploring community, belonging, and new models of membership across borders.

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🌐 Timestamps

00:00 – Cold open 00:24 – What "network state" means to Chance 01:14 – Chance's personal "why" 02:40 – Network societies as an umbrella concept 04:22 – The diversity inside the movement 05:49 – How Chance entered the space 07:27 – Accidentally creating a high-talent Discord 09:27 – Formal vs informal safety nets 12:11 – Unlocking global talent 14:19 – Origins of pop-up villages 16:22 – Zuzalu & the first big experiment 18:19 – Why Chance started researching pop-up cities 20:22 – Civil society & mutual aid history 22:42 – "Summer camps for nomads?" critique 24:52 – Permanent hubs vs pop-ups 28:59 – Demand for new communities 30:59 – The Mennonite example 35:08 – Why jurisdictions welcomed them 37:33 – Lessons for network builders 41:54 – Building identity & membership 48:39 – The future of membership models 55:35 – Designing new societal structures 58:51 – Closing thoughts