Ecocities Emerging November 2026

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The late urbanist and author Jane Jacobs believed that vibrant communities rarely emerge from master plans handed down from above. They grow from the ground up, shaped by people who show up and take part in daily life.

This year proved her right once again. Large forces may shape the context, but communities still shape the outcome. At Ecocity Builders, we choose to build. This year, we started building something promising and new.

Now we need your help to keep it growing.

What We Started With the Community

In October, the first CoBuild Summit brought professionals, educators, founders, students, cooperative leaders, and local officials together in Missoula. Over three days, people who rarely share a table worked side by side on housing, food, energy, rural health, and land resilience. Through panels, workshops, and deep-dive sessions, they explored topics like community ownership, business succession, local health care, biochar and carbon solutions, entrepreneurship, and how Montana communities can keep more opportunity rooted locally.

On the final morning, the CoBuild Center opened its doors downtown. That energy now has a permanent home. That spirit of showing up and getting it done is what CoBuild is all about. We’re creating the conditions for people across sectors to come together, work on shared challenges, and build practical solutions rooted in their own communities.

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