You vote for who stays.
Direct democracy with legal consequences. In URBAL, the stewards vote annually to decide which businesses continue to serve the community.
The Annual Renewal Cycle
Every commercial lease (LEC) resets annually. If a business isn't meeting the community's needs, the stewards vote to replace it. This ensures only the highest-performing Mainstay commerce survives.
Threshold Consensus
The Quiet Council uses Threshold-Weighted Consensus for all decisions. It's a system designed for stability — preventing radical swings while empowering the community to act decisively on shared priorities.
Governance Systems
The Civic Core
The Flag Vote (July)
A 5-month warning system for underperforming businesses to pivot or improve.
The Decision (Dec)
The final vote to renew or remove commercial leases for the upcoming year.
The Town Board
7 members randomly selected for 2-year terms to execute the Council's decisions.
Demand Intelligence
Real-time feedback loops powered by Apache Pinot to match community needs with new operators.
The Annual Cycle
January to December.
New commercial year begins. All renewed businesses start their term.
Stewards submit feedback via the URBAL OS app. Apache Pinot aggregates satisfaction signals.
The Flag Vote opens. Stewards flag underperforming businesses. Flagged businesses receive formal notice: 6 months to cure.
Flagged businesses improve or prepare for the December ballot. URBAL biz dev identifies replacement candidates.
The Vote. Internet reduced to emergency-only. Stewards vote on flagged businesses. Results permanent on Hyperledger.
Non-renewed leases expire. New operators selected from the scored candidate pool. Cycle resets.
Scope of Governance
No politicians. No landlords. No HOA board.
Commercial Renewals
Every business in the Spice Strips, inner wall, outer wall, and hydroponic farms re-competes annually.
Fee Allocations
Per-sqft fee rates can only change via a full 6-month deliberation cycle and Quiet Council vote.
Employer Selection
Employers re-compete at annual cycle close. Top performers earn automatic renewal.
CLT Ground Lease Rate
Starts at $0. Escalates only on security metric failure. Escalation table is public and fixed.
Town Ordinances
One page maximum. Proposed in July. Voted in December. Permanent on Hyperledger.
Town Budget
Full budget public. Line-item allocation per category. No discretionary spending authority.