Franz Nahrada

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Franz Nahrada is an Austrian Global Villages advocate.

He lives in Vienna, Austria where for many years he worked to run a culturally creative hotel and still maintains the Austrian research group on Global Villages and is along this line building a network of village visionaries and activists, the Global_Villages_Network, whose primary goal is to establish global knowledge cooperation between villages and also their urban supporters.

see CV, writings and blogs here

is contributor here with two IDs: User:FranzN and User:FNahrada

He maintains affiliation with the following networks:

  • Transition Towns (strong)
  • New Work (strong)
  • WOAL (living together without age limit) (strong)
  • New Towns for Migrants (strong)
  • demonetize.it (author)
  • keimform.de (author)
  • Commons (currently dormant)

and many others.

Bio

  • "Franz Nahrada, Vienna, Austria, * 1954, Sociologist and Writer, Ex - Hotel Manager, Member of the p2p Foundation in Austria
  • academic studies in sociology, philosophy and political science led to research on the genesis and failure of academic institutions to provide practical knowledge and eventually to a critique of current science in the context of various marxist political approaches. The discontent with both neglectiveness of theory and the need for social alternatives led to a quest how both can be reconciliated. In the meantime, on the professional side, because of the refusal to work towards an academic career, several factors converged: involvement in tourism (management of the family hotel), first steps in software development and work for Apple Computers (1987 - 1992 HyperCard developer support), knowledge organisation.
  • Experiences with the destructive social impact of tourism on traditional village structures in Samos, Greece, led to ideas of new integrative village development (alliance of nomadic knowledge workers and traditional village population = Global Villages). In seven field trips to California and other US states (1988 - 1995) both technology development and the social innovations that make them meaningful were the main subject (for example Arcosanti).
  • Tried to apply this strand in Austria, succeeded with the Global Village conferences (1993 - 2000) and the Cultural Heritage in the Global Village (CULTH) conferences (1998 - 2002). Founded the [GlobalVillagesNetwork] in 1997 to create a worldwide community of village innovators. Worked on redefinition of locations: Electronic Cafés, Monasteries, Libraries.
  • On the political side: working on NewWork movement for radically facing permanent unemployment and nonmonetary economies, studied patterns of emerging civil society, worked with Oekonux and co organized the third conference, studied traditional native concil wisdom and timeless cultural patterns with several teachers. Still seeks to build up a research institution (GIVE - Laboratory for Global Villages). Currently working with Andreas Exner and others on Transition Austria and SOLCOM, with Andrius Kulikauskas on a global learning & life maintainance community called Worknets, with others on Open Source Ecology, and is also president of ECOVAST (European Council of Villages and Small Towns) in Austria.
  • Finished a book "invisible intelligence" (following a conference organized together with Peter Weibel) to foster theory-culture that connects serious analyses, bold visions and diligent practice. Curently working also on a "pattern language for the postindustrial society" in general and a "pattern language of the solar age" in particular."

(original source: http://gemeingut.wikidot.com/future-of-the-commons)

Newer and shorter Bio

Mag. phil. Franz Nahrada, Sociologist and Writer Vienna and Bad Radkersburg, Austria, GIVE Reseach Lab
Is a vigorous advocate of rural areas as integral human habitat in its own rights, strictly opposing the "inevitable total urbanisation by 2050" narrative. His academic studies in sociology, philosophy and political science led to research on the genesis and failure of academic institutions to provide practical knowledge and understand and foster the conscious creation of social reality beyond predictions and forecasts that often tend to fail. Which also means that instead of pusuing an academic career, he went on "learning journeys" and created an ever growing network of co-thinkers and inspiring people which he called the "Global Villages Network". He gathered practical experiences in software development at Apple Computer and in tourism as hotel manager of his ancestors family hotel in Floridsdorf, Vienna. He also became a passionate facilitator of meetings and succeeded with the Vienna Global Village conferences (1993 - 2000) and the Cultural Heritage in the Global Village (CULTH) conferences (1998 and 2002) and others. Later he started to work directly with rural areas and to use the power of information technology to create "Village Innovation Talks" and eventually the "VillageVersity" or "DorfUni", a virtual educational networks that connects local communities with each other for direct knowledge exchange and with universities for lco-operation on "reality labs". For several years he served as president of ECOVAST (European Council of villages and small towns) in Austria and also as the convener of the Equinox Earth Day (Earth Society Foundation) at UN Vienna.

See Also