Franz Nahrada, Vienna, Austria, * 1954

    Hotel Manager, Sociologist, Networker and Writer, Member of the p2p Foundation in Austria, Vice President of ECOVAST Austria, Co-Founder of the Transition Online Community in Austria, General Secretary of "GIVE - Globally Integrated Village Environment", a research network to promote holistic life in rural areas.

• academic studies in sociology, philosophy and political science; 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: temporarily working on NewWork movement with Frithjof Bergmann for radically facing permanent unemployment and nonmonetary economies, studied patterns of emerging civil society, worked with Oekonux and co- organized their third conference, studied traditional native concil wisdom and timeless cultural patterns with several teachers. Still seeks to build up a research institution (with GIVE - Laboratory for Global Villages).
• 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 also working  on Pattern Languages - admires Christopher Alexander.