Village Building Convergence

The Village Building Convergence (VBC) is an annual 10-day event held every May in Portland, Oregon, United States. The event is coordinated by the City Repair Project and consists of a series of workshops incorporating natural building and permaculture design at multiple sites around the city. Many of the workshops center on "intersection repairs" which aim to transform street intersections into public gathering spaces.

In 1996, neighbors in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland at the intersection of 9th and Sherrett created a tea stand, children's playhouse and community library on the corner and renamed it "Share-It Square". Community organizers founded the City Repair Project that same year, seeking to share their vision with the community. In January 2000, the Portland City Council passed ordinance #172207, an "Intersection Repair" ordinance, allowing neighborhoods to develop public gathering places in certain street intersections.

The first Village Building Convergence took place in May 2002, then called the Natural Building Convergence. During its history, the VBC has coordinated the creation of over 72 natural building and permaculture sites in Portland, including information kiosks, painted intersections, cob benches, and a strawbale house at Dignity Village. The sites are primarily located in the southeast quadrant of Portland. Natural builders from around the world have coordinated the activities at many of the construction sites at the Village Building Convergence. Most of the labor taking place at the sites is done by volunteers.

The VBC hosts a series of workshops, many of which are free to the public. Topics of the workshops are usually related to sustainability and natural building. Past workshops have included aikido lessons, outdoor mushroom cultivation, bioswale creation, and nonviolent communication.

...
Wikipedia