Devon Zuegel on the Future of Cities and Community

What if we built cities focused around community? What if we used technology and smart infrastructure to create cities that increase human connections, benefit our health, and make our lives more fulfilling? Devon Zuegel is experimenting with that as we speak. She is the leader of Edge Esmeralda, a pop-up village that took place in June 2024 in Healdsburg, CA. Beyond residing in the village with their families, participants attended seminars and classes and forged new connections and community. Devon, Aria, and Reid get into why designing cities with intention can impact quality of life for individuals and entire communities. Plus, Devon shares what she has learned from Edge Esmeralda—and what she plans to build from here. Read the transcript of this episode here: https://www.possible.fm/podcasts/devonz For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ Topics: 0:00 - Hellos and intros 0:20 - Computers are like gardens 1:50 - Fictional Cities 3:56 - Cities are the platforms we build our lives on 5:16 - City as a networks and places of opportunities 9:07 - Best and worst designed cities 11:23 - Devon’s reaction to the AI story 14:49 - What is Edge Esmeralda? 18:33 - The ladder of commitment 21:31 - Devon’s learnings thus far 29:51 - Scaling Cities of the Future 31:37 - Intersections between technology and cities 38:50 - Devon’s thoughts on California Forever 39:36 - Rapid-fire Questions Select mentions: Edge Esmeralda (https://www.edgeesmeralda.com/welcome) Chautauqua (https://devonzuegel.com/chautauqua-an...) Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.