I foresee the economies of future CoolTowns run through guilds, loosely defined as an association of common interests.

Imagine working in a neighborhood that established an arts & entertainment guild, a high tech guild, and a main street guild.  If I were a musician, I’d frequent an affordable community recording studio, with 20-30 fellow musicians I’d know within walking distance that could help me record a song.  If I were a techie, I’d be able to network with dozens upon dozens of fellow techies to collaborate on a new video game until 3 in the morning, as well as ensure the town had a fiber optic network.  If I wanted to open my own business, I’d network with the main street guild to find out what business would really fill a missing niche among the other stores and restaurants.

If I didn’t belong in any of these guilds, there are hundreds of ‘beta tester jobs’ for undiscovered music, unreleased video games or chefs who need samplers.