Life in New Start is completely egalitarian. Resources are bartered directly with Workhome and Conservatory and made freely available to all citizens. Buildings are very densely structured, with many small, regular residences, almost exclusively commonhouses, leading to some outsiders referring to it as ‘The Hive’.

In return, each citizen must be conscripted into necessary work, such as maintenance dictated by the city administration, CU membership and record-keeping, resource auditing and allocation, and beautification of the square. It is the oldest enclave to operate this way, predating the Enlightenment Era by over 100 years. CU decisions are made by direct vote on individual agenda items.