Over the past few years, the idea of network states has moved from theory into practice. What once sounded like a thought experiment is now something you can point to on a map. Communities are forming, villages are popping up, and governance models are being tested in real life.
A great starting point to explore this emerging landscape is xyz.city, a new website that maps the existing network states and popup villages. Browsing through it feels like peeking into the early internet. It is fragmented, experimental, and in many ways still rough around the edges, but you can sense the energy of something new taking shape.
From my own perspective, having spent years traveling and watching how people naturally self-organize, I believe these experiments are far more than utopian projects. They are the living labs of how future societies might work.
The Landscape of Network States and Pop-up Villages
Here are some of the most visible initiatives today:
Network School (Forest City, Malaysia/ Singapore) - built by Balaji, NS functions as a society-as-a-service and includes everything from meals to gym to accommodations, in an island near Singapore.
Prospera (Honduras) – a charter city with its own governance and regulatory framework.
Infinita City (Prospera, Honduras) – a Layer 2 of Prospera, focused on biotech and longevity projects.
Zuzalu (Montenegro/ Various Locations) – a pop-up city that brought together researchers, entrepreneurs, and thinkers around health and governance.
Edge City (Various Locations) - Edge hosts monthlong popup villages where people at the frontiers of technology, science, and culture live and work together.
Ârc (Forest City, Malaysia/ Singapore) - a Layer 2 of NS, focused on attracting and retaining citizens there.
Cabin (Various Locations) – a network of co-living spaces that blends physical retreats with online coordination.
Crecimiento (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - Focused on turning Argentina into a crypto hub through pop-up cities and blockchain-driven experiments.
Forma (Various Locations) - A network state focused on hosting pop-up villages and developing solana economic zones in frontier markets.
Viva City (Various Locations) - Viva aims to build a new city that could foster medical freedom, self-experimentarion and drug development at warp speed.
Praxis (NYC, USA) - Praxis’ purpose is to restore Western Civilization and pursue our ultimate destiny of life among the stars.
These are only a few examples. Dozens more are being catalogued and updated at xyz.city. Each represents a different flavor of experimentation, from short-term gatherings to fully operational jurisdictions.
Prospera and Infinita: The Leading Edge
Among these initiatives, Prospera in Honduras remains the most advanced example of a functioning network state. It has created a jurisdiction with its own governance and regulatory framework, attracting builders, investors, and innovators from around the world. It is not just theory, it is a real place where new forms of law and economics are being tested.
Infinita City, where I am honored to serve as an Ambassador, builds on Prospera’s foundation. Think of it as a Layer 2 of Prospera: while Prospera provides the jurisdiction and governance infrastructure, Infinita focuses on creating a thriving ecosystem for biotech and longevity projects. It is where science, entrepreneurship, and governance intersect, pushing forward one of the most ambitious frontiers of human progress: extending healthy human life. They’re now hosting a the Bio-Frontiers Month to attract people and launch new ventures on the bio-tech and longevity space.
Tools for Builders
It is not just about the cities themselves. Entire ecosystems are forming around the idea of building and governing these new societies. Projects like Tools for the Commons and Onchain.City are developing infrastructure that makes it easier for communities to self-organize, fundraise, and manage resources transparently.
Full disclaimer: I am an angel investor at Tools for the Commons, so my perspective is naturally biased. But I see their work as critical for enabling communities to move from fragile experiments into sustainable real world models. If network states are going to scale, they will need the kind of digital plumbing that Tools for the Commons and Onchain City are creating.
Looking Forward
We are still early. Most of the projects listed on xyz.city are closer to prototypes than fully functioning societies. Some will fail, others will evolve, and a few will quietly become part of history. But the trajectory is undeniable: people are rethinking how we live together, and they are not waiting for nation-states to reform themselves.
The question is not whether these experiments will succeed perfectly, but whether they will succeed enough to show us a different path forward. From what I have seen in Prospera, Infinita, and the tools being built around them, I believe they already are.
Kudos to the DeltaY team for building xyz.city! More tools like these are needed!
Great write up! Cabin is sunsetting their operations but everything else seems up to date!