Manifesto
IN A NUTSHELL
Abandonment of rural areas and villages is a global phenomenon. In Spain alone, there are nearly one million empty rural houses in villages. At the same time cities become overcrowded, leaving us with an impoverished quality of life and work. Luckily, the rise of entrepreneurial villages and rural coworking spaces is becoming global as well. A number of interesting people, professionals and entrepreneurs are already leaving cities and moving to villages. They are relocating their businesses, funding their new projects based on the local economy, launching coworking spaces that gather other young professionals, mixing technology and tradition to revitalize their rural home villages. As Pandorahub we (re)connect people with the rural areas. We do so by supporting local governments and local communities to become entrepreneurial villages, running rural coliving and coworking residencies, business acceleration, and incubation experiences and unlocking a network of empty rural houses.
We are envisioning a network of villages within where “gLocal” activists will be able to roam around, living in under-used and abandoned rural houses, enabling the mobility of people widely ranging different nationalities, cultures, generations, and life experiences.
Pandorahub is a network of people, places, and projects. Local heroes, activists, rural coworking and coliving spaces, startups, facilitators and business hackers. We have proven that working and living close to nature in rural areas help us achieve a more healthy and happy lifestyle.
MISSION
Reviving rural areas by spreading the good life.
We are on a mission to set and attract population in villages, starting by collectives (entrepreneurial, learning and social innovation communities) with both a high sensitiveness towards the “local” and the ability to structurally regenerate the local wellbeing, health and wealth.
VISION
We are envisioning a network of healthy, conscious, self-sufficient and connected villages and rural areas.
We are inspired by a more regenerative, fulfilling and healthy way of living in rural areas where one can more easily combine the novelty of technology and entrepreneurship with the richness and wisdom of nature and old traditions.
HOW WE DO IT
We want to ignite the human, intellectual and economic value exchange in rural areas starting by Catalonia and Spain. Combining the good things of business and entrepreneurial practices (such as results-driven thinking, innovation, human centered design), with practices and disciplines that work in harmony with oneself, others and nature (such as permaculture, bio-construction, organic farming, physical and intellectual wellness, alternative education, etc.). Our ambition, in the medium and long run, is to achieve a more equitable distribution of knowledge, wealth, and hence population throughout the territory.
We are restoring and reviving our rural areas by empowering community living, remote work, people and business growth, multiculturality, intergenerationallity, rural coworking and coliving, conscious entrepreneurship, career shifting, self-employment and alternative learning.
We are turning our villages into knowledge and humanity hubs where to acquire new skills for business and personal growth. Self-sustainable spaces providing an affordable and flexible co-ownership model of accommodation. We are exploring alternative housing formulas that combine co-housing, coliving, co-ownership, home-sharing and village roaming for entrepreneurs willing to permanently live in village or organizations running workations, acceleration sprints and team retreats.
We are far from envisioning the digital nomadism as a modern form of “neo” colonization of rural locations. We are not proposing a horde of digital nomads invading villages with their laptops, creating a “guiri” bubble isolated from the touch of local communities. Our resilience comes from working together with local governments and local communities to co-create with them their own version of an entrepreneurial and “connected” village.
WHAT SHAPE IS PANDORAHUB TAKING?
PANDORAHUB is not be a place in the map. We are gathering a community of conscious change makers distributed through a network of villages amongst rural regions, Spain and elsewhere. Talented, curious, resilient and powerful individuals both human and professionally, who are already generating well-being, wealthy, inclusive, vibrant, healthy, inter-generational and diverse rural communities.
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+10 GOOD REASONS WHY
Abandoned villages: Abandonment of rural areas and villages as a global phenomenon (+3.000 in Spain, 200.000 in Italy and 80.000 in Japan). Village abandonment was whether imposed or empowered by media campaigns in purpose during the 60th by other smart/dictatorial Governments. Also by the 60’ and 70’, village life was actually really tough. This together with government efforts showing in TV happy and beautiful people in the city vs sad and ugly ones working the rural land.
Rural depopulation: Half of the overall villages in Spain are at risk of abandonment. 4.000 villages in Spain are in risk of depopulation (50% overall the villages) and +1.800€ in an irreversible depopulation process
Empty rural house phenomena: There are nearly 1 million empty rural houses in villages in Spain
Non controlled gentrification of cities: Cities are becoming overcrowded, clearly impoverished the urban quality of life. Gentrification per se is not bad, it is the result of the increased interest towards a certain area/location. Positive effects are more economic development and increased attraction of businesses. But without control, gentrification leads to real estate speculation and forced migration of locals. Does this ring a bell?
Job unfulfillment: Did u know that 90% of productive people WORLDWIDE and 85% in Spain are not happy with their job? Our work is changing. Our life is, too. Some of us are already living the remote work era, mixing work and vacation, and very often choosing natural & rural locations to do so.
Work and life ubiquity: Thanks to technology we can now choose where to live and work from. Work and leisure are merging. An estimated 50% of people will work remotely by 2020, the vast majority of Millennials: want flexible work, especially the ability to work remotely, +80% want to telecommute. The prediction is over 1 billion digital nomads by 2035. Why still working & living in cities most of the year, now that we can work from wherever there is good internet? Now that we are quitting our jobs, reinventing ourselves professionally, starting up our own businesses more than ever.
Nature as a trigger for wellbeing, health, wealth and brilliance: Nature makes us healthier, happier and smarter. Every day more companies and individuals are using nature as a vehicle for reconnecting with ourselves and boosting our businesses. It increases or focus, creativity, productivity enabling high performance and moments of flow. Scientists are still figuring out why nature works so well for us. Maybe the answers are simpler. We come from nature. Our parents or grandparents grew up in small communities, in villages, surrounded by nature. Nature was home sometime.
The rise of entrepreneurial villages and rural coworking spaces: a bunch of interesting people, professionals and entrepreneurs already leaving cities and moving to villages, relocating their businesses, funding their new projects based on the local economy, launching coworking spaces that gather other young professionals, mixing technology and tradition to revitalize their rural home villages.
Is this a utopia?
The impoverishment of families and the social vision: Unfortunately in Spain is every day more difficult raising a family. Many Spanish households cannot or are tired of paying the price of life in the city. More and more families have every day less opportunities in cities, have lost their jobs, house-holders are long-term unemployed, or even have lost their home. Many of these families come from the building industry and master this practice, crafts, restoration, carpentry, etc. Professions of great value for an abandoned villages recovery project as PANDHORAHUB. In future phases of the project, we are planning to build a social project addressed to disadvantaged communities, offering retraining programs in permaculture, bio architecture, bio-building and organic farming for impoverished family holders so that they can reinvent themselves, build their projects, or apply these skills in the reconstruction and maintenance of the villages. In order to optimally channel opportunities for these families, we will establish partnerships with relevant NGOs social organizations supporting impoverished families and individuals.
Do you want to join this paradigm shift?