Skyline.

Step 1: Gather interested people to explore creating a CityDorms nonprofit
The system is managed and administered by a public nonprofit organization. This nonprofit needs to exist before any other actions can be taken. This includes writing bylaws and selecting a Board of Directors.
 

Step 2: Speak with Stakeholders, get buy-in

The CityDorms system is a novel and somewhat radical approach. Various stakeholders must be consulted to ensure that there's enough support to make it succeed.

​

Step 3: Resolve Legal Concerns, address initial PR decisons

• The various names in the current design have not been checked for copyright infringement. They're also boring. The system also needs some logos.

• Complementary currency has been established as legal, as long as the currency is not designed to imitate or replace US currency, but it would be best to confirm that the volunteer credit system conforms to all federal laws! The internal currency is key to the function of the system. It also needs a name. For the rest of this document, it will be given the provisional name of EvergreenHours

• EvergreenHours may or may not be taxable income. This requires clarification with the IRS.

• Local ordinances may need to be modified so that CityDorms are legal dwellings. This legislation should be carefully worded to avoid accidentally legalizing tenements. Requiring a private toilet and direct access to the outdoors might be a good start.

• Current Seattle law forbids the taking of public parks for non-park purposes. However, placing CityDorm units in a public park creates an on-site, flexible workforce for basic maintenance of the park. This might permit the CityDorm units to be classified as caretaker cottages, thus avoid violating local law and expanding the sites which could accommodate CityDorms.

• CityTasks straddle the boundary between volunteer work and paid work, which raises questions as to which aspects of labor law apply. Ideally, these questions get answered before a problem arises.

• Available eligibilities for CityTasks should be examined to ensure they don't violate nondiscrimination laws or the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

• The ability to instantly lock out a nonpaying tenant is vital to the system. For this reason, CityDorms may need to be legally classified as hotel rooms, or some other category that does not require a lengthy, court-ordered eviction process for nonpayment of rent.

​

Step 4: Begin design and engineering of hookup points and sites
The hookup points are likely to be the most expensive and most technically difficult part of the system. These technical considerations need to be resolved before any accurate budgeting can be done. Appropriate sites must be identified as well. 
 

Step 5: Budget for, and develop website, RFID cards, portable RFID readers

The website is the centralized home for all accounts and most communication. It needs to be functional before implementation proceeds further. There also needs to be suitable infrastructure for printing the cards, distributing RFID readers to TaskLeads, etc.

Step 6: Recruit and train the first TaskLeads
Rules around CityTaskers should be carefully considered to avoid competition with paying jobs. It will be vital to work closely with any existing unions.

Step 7: Introduce the CityTaskers system and EvergreenHours

Until the CityDorm units get installed, the CityTaskers system is just a gloriously efficient way to recruit volunteers. This will provide a slow start-up, enabling bugs to be worked out of the system before people need EvergreenHours to pay rent. These don't wouldn't have any trade value at this point, but a certain minimum balance could be used to qualify for various perks and benefits. Individuals who are currently homeless, recently homeless, receiving aid, or at risk of becoming homeless should be consulted as to what perks would be most valuable. Examples might include: job fairs, special entry times at food banks, priority access to clothing banks, or discounts at local businesses. If the minimum age to be a CityTasker was dropped to 16, high school students in need of volunteer hours for schools could also be recruited to join. It should be publicized that the founding CityDorm residents will be selected from people who have existing CityTask accounts, a high EvergreenHours balance, and high feedback scores.
 

Step 7: Design the CityDorms, start to build excitement

As the engineers create several viable CityDorm unit designs, CityTaskers should be invited to offer their opinions and feedback. What works? What doesn't? Ideally, a few units would be constructed so folks can physically walk through them. If that is prohibitively expensive, a VR tour or small models might be an acceptable substitute. There would be special outreach to people currently living in encampments to seek their opinions. This outreach would be separated from sweeps as much as possible. Treat these folks as focus group participants, not "a problem".

Step 8: Create budget and contract for the manufacture of 100 units, and associated tech (hookup sites, delivery trucks, etc)

Once the design is finalized, manufacture can begin. This will cost money.

Step 9: Invite applications, interview, and select the Founders

At this point, the website is robust and physical engineering has been completed. Social engineering now takes precedence. For good or for bad, the social experiences surrounding the first CityDorms will shape the overall perception of the program. For this reason, the founding CityDorm tenants must be delightful people who present themselves well. They should have a high EvergreenHours balance and excellent evaluations. Ideally they are photogenic, articulate, and have existing social support networks. They're willing to give media interviews and dedicated to making this program work. As much as possible, the group should be selected to be visually diverse and appear to represent a variety of people and needs: young and old, parents and non-parents, all races, all genders, disabled, students, workers, north end, south end, etc. The existing image of "homeless person" is not positive. The founding CityDorm tenants should be the opposite of that stereotype in every respect. Unlike normal CityDorm tenants, the Founders commit to remaining in the CityDorms system for six months, offering user feedback to make the system thrive. The time they spend on interviews and such are all payable in EvergreenHours. In addition, all Founders who complete the six month commitment will receive a substantial cash bonus for their time, dedication, and willingness to be public with their journey. Selection of Founders should be staggered over time.

Step 10: Work closely with Founders to select initial installation sites
The Founders have existing social support networks and a general idea of where they would like to live. A map of the sewer system can be laid over this preferred area, and an initial install site selected that minimizes the run distance to the nearest sewer line. Two people living within a quarter-mile of the proposed installation site must give their recommendation before the installation of the hookup can proceed. The housing unit will be installed immediately afterwards. When possible, move-ins should be filmed and include a block-wide housewarming party. We need images and stories to counteract the "Seattle is Dying" narrative. Move-ins should be staggered, with roughly ten move-ins per month. There should be an effort to saturate the local news with images of people getting into housing through personal merit, and the delight of the neighbors to have them there. If anyone moves into market-rate housing after 6 months, their stories should be highlighted as demonstrations of the success and value of this program.

​

Step 11: Work closely with the Founders to identify and fix design problems with the units

For the first year, CityDorm rentals should be restricted to carefully selected Founders. Certain features of the CityDorm units will not function as intended and need to be redesigned. Founders accept all this as the price of early entry into the system.

​

Step 12: Encourage pent-up demand

No matter how much people demand the installation of more CityDorms, insist on a year of testing before it is opened for general use. Saturate the media with images of how wonderful it is to be a CityDorm tenant, but don't allow anyone except a select few to live in them. Publicize the rules that when the system is first opened, priority will go to those with the highest EvergreenHours balances.

Step 13: Monitor the supply of CityTasks

We hope to eventually create a norm where donors who need work done contact the TaskLead center. However, there may need to be active creation of work opportunities if this doesn't create enough jobs.

Step 14: Begin installing hookup points at all over the city
These are basic infrastructure improvements, no request required. Every point in the city should be within a mile of at least one empty hookup point. However, residents may use the "find it, fix it" app to request an installation in a particular location. CityDorm units should still not be connected to these hookup points. Build in the potential, but let the pent-up demand grow.

Step 15: Accept applications for CityDorms for one day only
With great fanfare, announce that CityDorms will be taking installation requests for one day only. CityTaskers requesting the installation of a new unit must bring two recommendations from someone living within a quarter-mile of an existing hookup point. Prioritize the work orders by EvergreenHours balance, giving people with higher balances higher priority. As installation of CityDorms proceeds, additional hookup points must be added to maintain a good distribution of empty hookups.

Step 16: Maintain excellent, prompt Advocate support

At this point, every piece of the micro-economy is in place. As people move out of existing CityDorms, those units become available to rent on the website. Maintain adequate Advocate staffing to respond promptly to any problems. The year of rentals by Founders should have built a substantial reservoir of goodwill towards CityDorm tenants and the CityDorm system as a whole. Address problems quickly to maintain this positive attitude and perpetuate a culture of responsibility. New tenants will tend to follow the examples of the Founders, albeit without the media interviews and the committee meetings.

Step 17: Cautiously allow the number of CityDorms to increase to saturation point
Carefully monitor the balance of the micro-economy. Remember that the CityTasks posted must exceed the CityTasks accepted, and that the EvergreenHours earned must exceed the EvergreenHours spent. Do not allow the total rent of CityDorms to exceed 80% of the currently circulating supply of EvergreenHours! If that occurs, some CityDorm tenants who are willing and able to work may face eviction due to lack of available currency. Preventing that injustice is the entire reason for the CityDorms system. Experience will reveal the best approach to increasing the CityDorm stock without overwhelming the currency supply.
 

Step 18: Allow the mature system to settle and shift naturally
Eventually, the installed CityDorms will saturate the need. When approximately 5% of CityDorms are vacant at any given time, the market is saturated. At that point, anyone willing and able to do unskilled tasks will be able to house themselves in less than a week. Requests for new CityDorm installations can be filled by moving a vacant CityDorm from one part of the city to another. The final benefits, costs, and limitations of the system will be measurable and known. Careful monitoring will still be required to maintain balance, but the implementation process is complete.

Step 19: Celebrate the end of the homelessness crisis
At this point, the homelessness crisis can be officially announced as resolved. At this point, lack of housing is no longer making anyone homeless. Victory parties are encouraged.

Step 20: Provide intensive, mandatory case-management for stragglers
In 2019, "sweeping" the homeless encampments is sometimes necessary, but never helpful. It doesn't fix the problem, it just moves it from place to place, preventing already-desperate people from achieving any kind of stability or dignity. However, that calculation shifts when CityDorms reach saturation. At that point, only a few seriously impaired people will remain homeless, and they should not be given the option to decline help. Such individuals need to be in a temporary shelter, halfway house, hospital, treatment facility, or jail. Homelessness in an urban environment creates significant harm for the surrounding community members. Allowing this harm isn't kind, compassionate, or acceptable.
 

Step 21: Observe the social shifts

The CityDorms system is a novel and radical system, so all projected social shifts are purely speculation. However, here are a few social shifts which might be plausibly predicted to occur within a decade after the CityDorms system reached saturation point.

• Living in CityDorms will likely become a normal phase of life for most young adults. It will allow young people to go to school, pay off debts, save money, and build their careers. When people move out of the CityDorms, they will do so with a solid career and money in savings. Some folks will never move beyond that young adult stage of life, and that's fine. Others will return to CityDorms during a time of crisis to rest, recover, and try again. Others will use CityDorms as hospice, accepting donations of EvergreenHours from friends in their last few months. Living in a CityDorm will involve no more social stigma than a cheap apartment did in the 1960's.

• Volunteer service to the city will become a nearly universal experience, leading to more positive and more useful civic engagement at all levels. Town hall meetings will involve less shouting and more reasoned suggestions. Streets and parks will be both cleaner and safer as a spirit of community stewardship becomes normalized.

• Private enterprise will thrive. Reduced housing costs will allow new entrepreneurs to focus on growing their business. Excessive housing costs will no longer drive employees to quit and employers to relocate. Entry-level positions will be easier to fill, and enjoy a lower turnover rate. Tourists will experience a clean, safe city, leading them to stay longer and spend more money.

• Landlords in the private market must offer better value for rent than a CityDorm. That means some combination of lower costs, better amenities, and/or better service. Given that CityDorms are glorified storage units, this shouldn't be hard! However, it will limit the profit potential from being an abusive slumlord. Market forces will give good landlords a competitive advantage, slowly driving bad landlords to change their behavior or leave the market. This should also minimize the need for legal restrictions (such as rent control) in the private market, which are prone to unintended side effects. The housing market, currently grossly out of balance with the local labor market, should slowly and gently correct itself.

• The standard of respectful behavior between employee and employer will slowly trickle out into the paid workforce as a social norm. Many people's first experience as a supervisor will be as a TaskLead, and that experience will guide in future jobs outside the CityDorms system.