The biggest cost in building is not the materials but the LABOUR…..
Some of the labour required on a big building project is of a skilled nature but much of it is semi-skilled or unskilled – this is especially true during the earth-works and main construction phase, but even in the finishing stages a lot of the work is of a semi-skilled nature.
Future citizens (once having been approved by the admissions board) could donate their labour to help build their new OACity home and community. They could be paid some minimal wages for living expenses and – in addition – earn credits which would later be exchanged for rent or other services. Some of these volunteers could work full-time and be housed on-site in temporary accommodation and eat communally in canteens – as in Kibbutzim. Perhaps as the building progresses and nears completion they could move temporarily into unfinished apartments whilst building work is still on-going. In this way their living expenses would be very modest.
Paolo Soleri employed volunteer labour (architectural students, etc) to help build Arcosanti and also to make his famous Wind-Bells