What do Kift NFTs have to do with Cities of the Future?
It’s 2022 and cities are obsolete. They were once the centers for culture, work, community, knowledge sharing, goods and services. But now, cities are no longer the centers of culture. We find trends happening on TikTok and instagram; our friends are scattered across the globe and we stay connected to them daily on text or social networks. Love it or hate it, you can get anything delivered anywhere, anytime, from online retailers. And now that 40% of all work is being done remotely, cities are no longer the economic hubs they once were. We have to wonder what the next iteration of a city is going to look like.
Cities were never about skyscrapers or subways, parking lots or shopping centers. At their core, cities have been centers for connection, communication and access. We see a new type of geo-distributed city or global village happening around us, and our community, Kift, is taking steps to make sure that we embrace and amplify the city’s true purpose: to connect and share what is most human.
With enabling distributed technology like off-grid renewables, Starlink and Web3 tools, we’re building a new type of non-hierarchical community spread across multiple locations, focused on collective empowerment, decision making and ownership. And we’re using these tools to open the doors of our community and build this next generation of cities, together.
Our project, Kift — a community of remote and in-person workers that brings together vanlife and a network of communal houses in stunning locations across the West — just issued our first NFTs.
Why? So we can collectively purchase property and give our community members agency and a stake in what we are building.
So, what does this mean?
- You buy an NFT of a wildly unique camper with fun accessories for around $200
- We put 80% of the money in a non-profit (the rest goes towards operations) and purchase land with it — Hot springs? Farm? Mountain getaway? You decide
- As an NFT holder, you can live there and any of our other stunning locations for less than $500 a month including fast Wi-Fi and groceries
- We start to build the future that we want to live in
- We throw some epic parties
If Web2 was about a few tech barons taking over the world, Web3 is about all of us taking it back. It’s about putting control, and capital, back in the hands of the people who create the value. It’s about living in a non-transactional world and a community unbrokered by a central authority.
Specifically, the treasury from the NFT sale will go towards funding community and real estate development. Each NFT will serve as an initial membership and governance token for the DAO with a vote on which real estate opportunities to pursue — and a 50% discount on Kift membership. On the table are hundreds of stunning locations sourced by the community, including some potential large-scale developments. NFT holders also get access to special membership opportunities and events.
It’s okay to feel nostalgic for cities and the communities they created. But we need to recognize that what they were designed for — pre-internet technology, maximizing profits and conformity — is no longer relevant. We can build a new kind of city taking advantage of current technology and trends, prioritizing what we value most: personal development, creativity, human connection, and a sustainable, healthy approach to living in harmony with nature.
So get your wallet ready if you want to join in creating this new city together - we drop our NFTs on Monday, June 6 at kiftdao.xyz.
