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Fractal Commons Manifesto

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Building a new economy in Lewes and beyond

Our current economy is built on a simple rule: if you don’t own, you pay forever. Land, housing, energy, food and transport are controlled by a small number of owners, backed by banks and the state. Most of us spend our lives renting back what has already been paid for many times over, working to service debts and bills in a system that hits the poorest and most racialised communities hardest.

We believe another pattern is possible.

What is the Fractal Commons?

The Fractal Commons is an economic system where the things we rely on – homes, food, energy, vehicles, tools and shared spaces – are held in common and managed together. Instead of separate bills to landlords, energy companies and supermarkets, people become members of local commons “nodes” and contribute through:

a predictable membership contribution (no more than they already pay, often less)

sharing assets (like homes, cars, tools) into the commons

time, care and participation in everyday work and governance.

In return, they get guaranteed access to what they need to live well.

Key ideas

1. Commons instead of ownership Land, housing and key infrastructure are moved into commons entities (charities, trusts, co‑ops) that hold them for everyone’s benefit. People no longer own homes or cars privately in the old sense; they have secure, long‑term rights to use them as members of the community.

2. Equity‑for‑support, not equity‑for‑sale If you transfer a home or other asset into the commons, you don’t lose out. Your equity is turned into a long‑term commitment from the commons to you: secure housing, help with bills, food and movement. Over time, the value of what you gave is used to support you and others – not turned into profit.

3. Membership instead of bills We replace scattered bills with a single cost‑of‑living membership. Members pay what they can in a banded system (supported, standard, solidarity). The commons then bulk‑buys food, energy, transport and services for everyone, cutting waste and profit margins while making access more secure.

4. Contribution in many forms Work is not just jobs. Caring for children or elders, cooking, running meetings, repairing tools, teaching, creative work and emotional labour all count as contributions. These are recognised and valued, not treated as invisible.

5. Tokens as tools, not money Where useful, we use local tokens as a way to keep track of contributions and access – for example in a Library of Things. You might earn tokens by donating an item or volunteering time, then spend them to borrow tools. People with spare cash can buy a small number of tokens, but there are strict limits so no one can buy their way to control or privilege. Basic needs never depend on tokens.

6. Anti‑colonial at its core We name the reality: our current economy is built on land theft, racism and extractive ownership. The commons is not neutral; it is designed to undo those patterns. That means:

prioritising those most harmed by the old system

reserving voice and leadership space for marginalised communities

refusing to let new structures reproduce old hierarchies.

How it works on the ground

In a town like Lewes, this could look like:

A housing commons that owns homes and sites like the old Bus Station and offers secure, long‑term tenancies linked to membership, not to speculative rents.

A cost‑of‑living commons that replaces separate food, energy and transport bills with one membership, using that pooled money to supply everyone fairly.

Libraries of Things where people share tools and equipment instead of buying everything individually.

Workplaces gradually converting into co‑ops and commons‑aligned organisations, flowing resources directly to members’ needs.

At the smallest scale – a street, a block, a village – the same pattern repeats. Each node has members, shared resources, simple rules for access and contribution, and a commitment to equity and care. Nodes link together in a loose federation: sharing knowledge, mutual aid and sometimes resources, but without any central authority taking control.

What we are inviting people into

We are not asking people to trust a distant market or a distant state. We are inviting them to redirect what they already pay, and what they already own, into a different kind of structure:

One where security comes from relationships, not from speculation.

One where contributing care and time matters as much as paying money.

One where nobody can get rich by controlling other people’s access to the basics of life.

This is fractal economics: the same life‑affirming pattern repeated at many scales, from a single household to a whole town. It is not a utopian dream; it is a practical map for how we can live together differently, starting now.

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