Water security
A reliable, lawful potable supply and room to harvest and restore.
A project in formation
Build a place. Earn your place.
Settlement Zero is developing a member-owned settlement where land and major infrastructure are shared, private lives and finances stay private, and people can earn a place through skills and work as well as capital.
Site 001 is being researched. No site has been selected and no land has been purchased.
Five systems
Water
Capture, conserve and plan around it first.
Energy
Solar and storage, sized for phased growth.
Food
Shared kitchens, bulk buying, gardens that grow over time.
Shelter
Small private homes, excellent shared facilities.
Community
Resident governance and a way in for the next person.
Why Settlement Zero
Own less individually. Have more collectively.
Conventional housing asks every household to finance its own land, utilities and equipment. Settlement Zero explores sharing the expensive systems while keeping private life private.
| Instead of… | Settlement Zero explores… |
|---|---|
| Buying an expensive individual house and duplicating every system | Smaller private dwellings supported by excellent shared infrastructure |
| Land appreciation pricing out the next generation | Cooperative stewardship, with residential memberships that return to a common pool |
| Only people with substantial cash gaining access | Cash, work-to-own and hybrid pathways |
| Building first and solving water later | Water-first land selection and hydrology-led planning |
| A developer keeping permanent control | A planned transition to resident democratic governance |
What it is
Not a commune. Not a subdivision.
Settlement Zero is a proposed, repeatable model for affordable, cooperatively owned settlement. The first site is a prototype, documented so the next one can be better.
Settlement Zero is intended to be
- Member-owned land and shared infrastructure
- Private finances, jobs, businesses and lives
- Small private homes with strong shared facilities
- Open to people who bring work and skills, not only capital
- Governed by residents, one member one vote
It is not
- A commune that pools personal income
- A promise of free land or free housing
- An investment scheme promising appreciation or returns
- A luxury eco-resort
- A finished project with a location or opening date
How it works
Work → credit → membership → home
Approved contribution to building and running the settlement is intended to earn credit toward a residential membership. When a member leaves, that membership returns to a common pool for the next person.
1. Work
Contribute skills, time, expertise or capital.
2. Credit
Approved work builds a transparent member capital account.
3. Membership
Credit counts toward a residential membership with an equal vote.
4. Home
Durable occupancy rights to a private dwelling and the shared systems.
Hands-on work 
Growing and sharing 
Building something that lasts
Site 001
No location has been selected. That is intentional.
Site 001 will be chosen with a repeatable scorecard, not attachment to a particular parcel. Water comes first.
Regulatory feasibility
A realistic approval path for the model, the buildings and the people.
Land affordability
Roughly 100–300+ acres at a price the model can carry.
Climate and access
Liveable climate, manageable hazards, reachable services.
The settlement plan
Shared systems at the centre, private homes around them
The current concept organises the settlement in rings around a community core. The geometry is a planning tool: roads, homes and gardens will bend to the real land and its water.
Conceptual planning diagram, not a site plan. A ring road and four radial roads connect the zones; the blue line is a natural water corridor.
- Community coreKitchen and dining, showers, laundry, coworking, library and gathering space.
- Park and activityShade, play, recreation and room to gather outdoors.
- Utility ringWorkshops, storage, water treatment, batteries and food processing.
- Residential ringSmall private homes. Quonset-style units and one engineered dome prototype are current concepts.
- Agricultural ringGardens, greenhouses and orchards where the climate allows.
Economics
Why sharing the expensive parts can work
A community kitchen, one well-built water system and a shared workshop cost far less per person than every household buying its own. The savings are what make work-to-own possible.
Shared infrastructure
Water, energy, sanitation and kitchens are built once and used by everyone.
Limited equity
Departing members recover value under a published formula, so affordability survives success.
Transparent costs
Common charges, budgets and material contracts are intended to be open to members.
Who controls it
Built to be governed by the people who live there
The draft Governance Charter sets out the principles below. The legal structure is still being designed with counsel.
One member, one vote
Cash does not buy extra ordinary voting power. Work-to-own members vote equally once admitted.
Founder authority sunsets
Founders lead formation and construction, then control passes to resident governance.
Published rules
Work-credit, redemption and budget rules are written down and shared.
Protected affordability
Memberships return to a common pool instead of being sold to the highest bidder.
The Founding Circle
Help shape Site 001
The Founding Circle is the early network of people who want to follow, advise, contribute to, help build or one day live at Settlement Zero. Joining means: keep me informed, tell me when Site 001 research advances, and let me say how I might contribute.
Joining does not obligate you to move, invest or work, and it is not a membership, investment, job or promise of housing.
Support the project
We're not collecting money. We're building interest.
Settlement Zero isn't asking anyone to invest or pay to join. Donations are welcome, but the most valuable thing you can do right now is share the idea with people who might build, advise or live here.
Share Settlement Zero
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Would you like to donate? Ask about donating
Common questions
Straight answers
Is this a commune?
No. The design keeps private finances, outside work and businesses, and personal autonomy. Land and major infrastructure are shared and cooperatively stewarded.
Is the land free?
No. Land and infrastructure must be financed. Work-to-own is intended to exchange approved contribution for a defined membership interest, not to create resources from nothing.
Where is it?
Not selected. Site 001 will be chosen using water, legal, climate, land, agriculture and infrastructure criteria.
Is this an investment?
No. Residential participation is being designed around use, occupancy and cooperative membership, not financial returns.
When does it start?
There is no opening date yet. The legal structure and Site 001 selection come before any construction commitment.
Follow the search
Get updates as Site 001 research advances
Choose "Stay informed" on the Founding Circle form to receive occasional updates only. No commitment, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Notes
- The US$25,000 membership value is an illustrative figure used to test the economics. It is not a price or an offer.
- Credit rates are illustrative: US$15 an hour for general work, about US$20 for skilled trades, and about US$25–30 for licensed and professional work. Final rates need legal and tax review.
- The community shift is about 4 hours a week for every adult member, including those who pay cash. It keeps vital operations running and earns no membership credit.
- Base case of the Live Financial Model (about US$1,010,554 including a 3% financing allowance), a current planning assumption.