Doughnut Economics Action Lab
Imagination Infrastructure
A chronicle of imagination, collective intelligence, and the architecture of possibility.
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Letter
To our friends, collaborators, and fellow time-travelers,
At CordeValle, we stepped into more than a gathering — we entered a shared experiment: Can imagination become a system, a methodology, an infrastructure for how we live and lead?
Across three days, we attempted what few communities try: to see the world clearly, imagine what it might become, and begin building the conditions for that future.
We saw courage, wonder, and deep listening. We watched people from diverse domains align around a bold idea: imagination is not a luxury, but a public resource to cultivate and steward.
Future Lab was a rehearsal for the future. You brought talent, vulnerability, and brilliance — helping shape a shared model of an imagination-powered world.
This dispatch is a mirror and an opening: the questions we asked, the insights surfaced, the prototypes begun, and the aliveness we felt.
Most of all, it’s an invitation to carry forward what sparked in you, to imagine beyond the familiar, to build coalitions for work none of us can do alone.
What began at CordeValle is only the beginning. Thank you for your wonder, rigor, and courage. We can’t wait for what comes next — and we’re grateful to build it with you.
With imagination and gratitude,
Todd, Emily & Seth
By the Numbers
A snapshot of our time together:
Insights
Through our explorations, a shared understanding took shape revealing what it will take to imagine and build flourishing futures. These ten insights distill what we learned.
Create the conditions for imagination, enable aliveness, design places that support the work, and build coalitions that bring it to scale.
Continued Conversations
Here are some of the questions we heard from our changemakers:
How can wonder and play help us navigate uncertainty, open us up to expanded possibilities and give us the courage and creativity to invent the future?
How can we study imagination as a methodology, a practice and a framework for diverse forms of impact?
How can we design physical spaces as the stages for imagination to flourish?
How can we imagine learning as a lifelong practice to align people with a sense of purpose?
How can we leverage play as a catalyst to build networks that strengthen communities?
We'd like to continue the conversation with you.
As the glow from our time at CordeValle still lingers, we’d love to invite one more moment of reflection. We’ve put together a short, imaginative set of questions to help us understand what resonated, what surprised you, and what possibilities feel alive now. It’s less a survey and more a gentle revisiting of the experience. Your insights will help shape the next chapter of work, and we’re grateful for anything you feel moved to share.
Playlist
A cross-media mixtape of inspiration designed to fuel your curiosity and your craft.
2025 CordeValle Attendees