On a world scale, numerous marginal, fragmented efforts in low cost and ecologically suitable building technology offer a dearth of complete low cost packages or comprehensive planning. No coordination exists in this market. The enormous demand for ultra-low cost homes dwarfs any government's or agency's ability to supply them, as they deal with development.

This proposal suggests a remedy. It postulates that organizing a human rights driven and environmentally responsible  market will create housing on the scale required. It aims to serve those who offer and those who need traditionally-based housing who wish to participate in the modern world with modern technology with funding.  Here is a proposal to structure funding, technology and expertise.

The goal is to create a market for all the ingredients such as housing technologies, funding and expertise. This market should transfer low cost, environmentally-responsible living technology among its membership. The overall organization will structure licensing and funding by means of templates and precedents - actual documents for licensing, funding, and so on. Through membership, those who build projects or have technology and expertise and funding can communicate with those who wish to have projects built.

The proposed network provides information on three levels: 

General Information available to anyone.

Specific case studies and offerings available to members.

Transactions  between members which yield a fee to the network.

The marketing group together with the technical, business and administrative groups will use a visioning and brainstorming process to set the vision and identify the goals which support the vision. They will try to use as many existing applicable connections as possible. They will determine the steps to take, the time-line, who to invite as members, the budget required for the development of the network community, they will establish the sources of operating revenues for an autonomous enterprise which will serve its membership.

One of the initital steps is to profile potential membership, do market studies of what building technology is available, what demand is present, define the scope of operations, incorporate and choose a name.

Membership would be invited in order to start the project: local community development organizations, construction companies, technology companies, consultants, manufacturers, funding organizations architects and planners, non- governmental organizations concerned with development and humanitarian work, the UN, banks, etc. within the scope of the mandate, which is yet to be formulated, Larger players would be allowed membership if their offerings have credibility within the scope, to put some weight behind the plan. However, the situation must by its nature also include those diverse, small operations and those working with low funding on their missions, should these desire to participate. The network must enhance the flowering of small operators who hold the vision of creating housing for all people as a basic human right, and housing which is environmentally friendly.

The organizing committee would lay out the mandate, goals and strategies for the network. Organizers would set up licensing agreements under which the members would operate on the second and third levels, and define the system of credits for exchanging information. The basic housing network in its participatory, inclusive system would be a consensus organization with specific operating procedures for consensus. Consensus means that everyone can live with decisions made on the larger levels.

 A lot of work needs to be done in attaining this objective, but it could be held that if the constitution is strong and based on principles of justice for people, the network would evolve to fulfill its mandate to supply housing as a basic human right.

The first task in setting up the network would be to organize a web site for listing funds available, for describing proprietary building technology, either available or under development, to outline potential projects, to define the need for supply of homes by various constituents, and to invite broader membership in the network. The best way to launch  the network would be through an event or conference which has a focus on basic housing needs, and this event or events could be an event sponsored by others or it could be a specific event.

The idea is to create a vehicle for setting in place the information needed for funding and housing production with a database of case studies. The network would also market technology and projects, harness  competition within a cooperative model and it would propagate itself in the market.

The basic housing network will require a minimal amount of capital in comparison to the results it could achieve when compared with any single business engaged in promoting itself. How could this network organize the market? It will make available a selection of the best, most environmentally friendly building technologies available, and will create a means of delivering complete packages of building technology from among the members. It will outline the needs of people for housing in each country, the costs of housing, the background of proposed projects. It will channel funding, stimulate innovation, and make real homes for people.

The symbolic representation on a computer screen becomes an information gateway. The symbol or chart appears as a graphical interface on the user's network computer screen, giving access to the information on the network. In other words, the picture of this symbol or mandala would appear to the user, on the screen of the Internet computer as a means of connecting with the information on the network such as with the members and their offerings. Such a system would operate on the existing Internet. The initial level of information would give way to subsequent levels of information, as well as being cross linked. The levels of resolution or the hierarchy and location at greater and greater depth would present the detail of information available. The mandala would contain within it ever deepening scales or resolutions of imbedded Internet addresses of the members, for instance, or it would define what is available within templates for that level of access. The mandala would either down load and/or be residing in a host, depending on the level accessed and the quantity of information.

The structure of the basic housing network is represented by an evolving organizational chart. In this case, the chart symbolizes the activities and relationships of the information/market system much as a mandala in philosophical terms symbolizes physical or non-physical relationships. This mandala or diagram serves as the template for organizing the information system.  As the reference point for interaction, the mandala would present definitions of the scope of information and show what transactions could be handled at the level being accessed.

Why should we not have a way to simultaneaously represent both structure and have access to that structure? The mandala is that and more: it is a way to retain the organization's focus and structure when implementing goals, objectives and strategies of the whole. The diagram or mandala offers a tool for testing the viability of the information structure itself,  of the business structures, to see if they live up to the expectations of the vision of this network. This graphic representation should be able to evolve and grow, as well as give structure. The organization should be responsive to structural changes through growth and evolution with the graphical information interface as a tool for fitting the business  structure to the actual relationships of people and information. The question to ask is this: should the structure drive the work, or should the work drive the structure? One must always be checking sturcture against the vision, while checking the vision for its truth.