Northern Plains · 10–20 Families · 50–60 People

A new way to live,
work, and belong.

A we-conomy is a collective of families and individuals who share land, labor, and livelihood — organized, resilient, and built to last.

Explore the framework →

functional roles

50–60

people per collective

~200

acres of land

10 yr

design horizon

The idea

More than a homestead. More than a commune.

A we-conomy is a self-organized collective of families and individuals who share land, labor, and livelihood. It sits in the gap between the isolated family homestead (too much for two people to sustain alone) and the traditional commune (too ideologically rigid for most modern families).

The model is practical: 10–20 households on a shared piece of land, each contributing their skills and labor to a set of defined roles that together cover everything the collective needs to thrive.

The word “we-conomy” captures the essential idea: an economy organized around the we, not the individual. Not a utopia. A functioning, grounded, human-scale community.

Learn more about the concept →

Illustration or photo

The framework

24 roles. Every function of collective life, defined and owned.

The role framework is the intellectual core of weconomies.com. Every function a collective needs — from farming crops to mediating conflict, from managing water to running the books — is defined as a role. Each role has a recommended team size, a load rating, a set of direct dependencies on other roles, and guidance on which role pairings work well together.

No function goes unowned. No person carries everything. The framework is a starting point, not a prescription.

Explore all 24 roles →

Start with the land

How much land do you need? What climate works for your collective's goals? Our acreage calculator and land assessment guide help you think through the fundamentals before you buy.

Land & planning tools →

Map your roles

Every collective needs people accountable for every function. The role coverage tool helps you map your group's skills against the 24 roles and surface the gaps before they become crises.

Try the role tool →

Find your people

Whether you're forming a collective, looking to join one, or just exploring the idea — the we-conomy directory connects people at every stage. (Coming soon.)

Join the directory →

Stay close to the idea

Stay close to the idea.

We write occasionally — about collective living, land, governance, and the people doing it. No noise.