The Foundation: What Are TerraCores and Why They Matter
What are TerraCores?
Formerly the MVCU, or "Minimally Viable Community Unit” – why this simple building block might be the future of affordable, resilient community living
In the face of skyrocketing housing costs, collapsing social infrastructure, and a growing sense that “nobody’s coming to fix this,” the solution we need probably isn’t a bigger program or a better app, and it’s not more “affordable housing.”
We need a better basic building block, and we need to deliver it with the “ability to afford” (vs merely “affordable,” which is something else entirely).
What we require is a far more holistic consideration that extends to full lifecycle engagement.
Designed to support and encourage multi-generational living that allows the community’s most honored citizens to age in place, with dignity
Formerly called an MVCU (Minimally Viable Community Unit), a TerraCores is the smallest possible building block of resilient, cooperative, and self-sustaining community life.
It’s like a Lego brick, but for human-scale systems. It’s like Minecraft, but for sustainable communities.
If the idea reminds you of an intentional community, then you are on the right path, but TerraCores are a lot more.
At its core, TerraCores are:
Housing that’s within reach for those without a lot of capital and/or access to credit (housing that people have an ability to afford vs “affordable”)
Building materials that are energy-conscious
Shared infrastructure (kitchen, laundry, garden, gathering space)
A cooperative economy that supports jobs, food, and services
Embedded wellness (lifecycle health services, scheduled health check-ins)
Governance tools that let residents self-manage, vote, arbitrate, and collaborate
A scalable template (literally: a franchise) that can be copied and pasted so they grow into villages, neighborhoods, or towns
If you’ve ever thought, “What would it look like if a community was built around real people and real needs, not speculation?” then you’ve already imagined TerraCores.
These are not theoretical. The approach has been formalized into a phased, scalable framework, detailed in the Terra Global Developments White Paper: A Scalable, Self-Sustaining Solution to the Housing Crisis.
That document (available for download at terraglobaldevelopments.com) outlines how TerraCores transition people from shelter to cooperative ownership, without requiring long-term public subsidies.
If you've felt like existing systems treat your needs as misuse or anomalies, you're not alone. MVCs are designed to start where others stop: at the last mile.
And for us, the institution’s last mile is our first.
📩 Contact us at [email protected] OR VISIT US AT terraglobaldevelopments.com to explore, co-create, or host a TerraCore project.
🔜 Up Next - Part 2: “How TerraCores Work – The Core Elements of Regenerative Living”
In Part 2, we’ll dive into the Core Elements—exploring the full lifecycle systems of food, water, energy, shelter, and beyond, all designed to meet human needs while restoring natural systems.
