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Okay, so you've probably heard people talking about this place, Holstmark 25, right?

2
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Yeah, it's been popping up all over the place.

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It's like this mysterious spot in Berlin that everyone says you have to see, but what is it really?

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Right, like what's the big deal?

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That's what we're going to find out in this deep dive, right?

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What makes Holstmark what it is?

7
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Yeah, Holstmark 25 is not like your average tourist spot.

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It's more like, you know, when you wander off the beaten path and stumble on something amazing?

9
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Yeah, yeah.

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Like a hidden village or something.

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Right in the middle of the city.

12
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Okay, I'm intrigued.

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But before we get ahead of ourselves, I'm curious about the name Holstmark.

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Like, what's the story there?

15
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Oh, it's German.

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I figured as much.

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It means timber market.

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Timber market, okay.

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So was this place once like a lumber yard or something?

20
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Yeah, way back when.

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That's exactly what it was.

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A bustling hub for the timber trade.

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But hold on, because it doesn't stop there.

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Oh, there's more.

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Oh, yeah.

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This plot of land has seen a lot of changes over the years.

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It went from a timber market to a gasworks.

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Can you believe that?

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No.

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And then, get ready for this, it became a dumping ground.

31
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Oh, wow.

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And if that's not enough, it even housed a legendary

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Techno Club Bar 25.

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Talk about a wild ride.

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From a neglected industrial site to a cultural hotspot,

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how did this transformation even happen?

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Well, after the Berlin Wall came down,

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the city was full of these empty spaces, right?

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Yeah.

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And people were just itching to do something with them.

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So instead of big developers coming in and throwing up

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condos.

43
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Exactly.

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People were like, we can make this place our own.

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This movement emerged called interim use,

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where people would start these temporary projects

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in abandoned buildings and vacant lots.

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So it was a way of reclaiming the city.

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Yeah.

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And Holds Mark 25 is a perfect example

51
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of how something temporary can turn into something

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really special and permanent.

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It's amazing how these grassroots movements

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can have such a lasting impact.

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So are you saying that Holds Mark wouldn't exist

56
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if it weren't for this interim use thing?

57
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Well, there's no saying for sure,

58
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but it definitely played a huge role.

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See, there were actually these massive development

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plans for this spree riverfront called Media Spree.

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But the locals, they weren't having it.

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They saw it as this top-down approach that would

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strip the area of its character.

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Yeah, I can see why people would push back against that.

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So they fought back.

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I bet they did.

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And I'm guessing they didn't want

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to see it turned into another shopping mall.

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You got it.

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They wanted something different, something

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that reflected their values.

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And that's where the story of the cooperative

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begins, the heart and soul of Holtzmart.

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OK, we've got this prime location

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on the Spree, a community passionate

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about shaping its future.

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And now this cooperative enters the scene, right?

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This feels important.

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It's huge, this cooperative.

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It's called the Genozen Shaft for Urbane Creativity,

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or Gouquet for short.

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Gouquet.

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It's a mouthful, I know.

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What does it mean?

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Cooperative for urban creativity.

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And it's more than just a name.

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It's a way of life.

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So it's not just about renting a space to the highest bidder.

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This is about shared ownership.

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Exactly.

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It's about people coming together, entrepreneurs,

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artists, residents, all pooling their resources

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to build something they believe in.

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I'm picturing a big join the cooperative banner right now.

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You know what?

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You actually can.

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It's open to anyone who shares their vision.

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It's about investing in a future where creativity and community

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are paramount.

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This sounds like one of those things you have to see to believe.

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So paint me a picture.

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What's it like to actually step into Holesmark 25?

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Imagine you wander down these cobblestone streets, right?

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And the air is filled with this smell of fresh bread and music

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from a nearby cafe.

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So it's like this hipster paradise.

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It's more than that, though.

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It really is.

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Remember those sources you were talking about?

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Yeah.

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The stuff from Holesmark themselves and the Gouquet?

112
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Right, right.

113
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They actually provide some really interesting insights,

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like behind the scenes.

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OK.

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They're thinking about keeping the Spree Riverfront public.

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Oh, yeah.

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That's a big deal, because a lot of cities

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end up privatizing their waterfronts.

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It ends up only being for the select few who can afford it.

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Exactly.

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And Holesmark is fighting against that, which

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I think is pretty cool.

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They're making sure everyone can enjoy the river.

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They back up their words with action, too.

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I like that.

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And the urban development assessment that we saw,

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it's really detailed.

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They really thought this through.

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So it's not just some happy accident.

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No, they had a vision.

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It's all about sustainability and community.

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And they're not afraid to share how they did it.

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It's nice to see that balance, you know?

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Free spirit with the practicality

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of sustainability.

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And you know, the UK, the sustainability

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isn't just about the environment.

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It's got to be something that works financially and socially,

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too.

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So they want to create a viable alternative

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to the typical way of doing things.

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Yeah, and they're doing it.

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This isn't some pipe dream.

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Holesmark is thriving.

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It's an ecosystem where the businesses actually

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support each other.

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I love that, a self-sustaining cycle of creativity

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and community.

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And get this, they have all these income screams,

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everything from like you buying a cup of coffee to events

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to the UK members themselves.

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Speaking of which, what is it actually

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like to be a part of this Go-K cooperative?

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Is it like as amazing as it sounds?

156
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Well, it's more than just giving them money.

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You actually get a say in how things are run.

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Oh, wow.

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So it's a real investment in the future of Holsmart.

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Exactly.

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Members can go to meetings, have discussions,

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really be a part of shaping Holsmart.

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That's so cool.

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But on the financial side of things, how does it work?

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Do people get something back for investing?

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That's where the cooperative share comes in.

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You invest, and they've structured it

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so that the project is financially stable

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and the members get a return on their investment.

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So it's not just an act of charity.

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It's a true partnership.

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Yeah, and they've found that sweet spot

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between sticking to their vision

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and having a head for business.

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Which is not an easy thing to do.

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No, not at all.

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And the fact that they have over 100 members

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from all over the world says something, doesn't it?

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It really does.

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It shows that their model is resonating

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with people who want something different.

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So it makes you wonder though,

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is Holsmart a one-hit wonder?

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Can this be replicated somewhere else

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or is it just too connected to Berlin?

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It's like, can you bottle that magic

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and take it somewhere else?

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Right, is Holsmart something

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you can just replicate anywhere?

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It's tough to say for sure.

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Berlin has that whole post-war history,

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the interim use movement, all of that.

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So you can't just like copy and paste it

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to a different city and expect it to work.

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Exactly, every city is different, right?

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What works in Berlin might not work in London or New York.

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But.

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There's always a but.

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Right, but even though the details might be different,

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the heart of Holsmart, that commitment to community,

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to sustainability, to creativity, that's universal.

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So it's more about capturing the essence

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of what they've created and finding ways to adapt it.

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Yeah, it's about figuring out what resonates with us

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about Holsmart and seeing how we can apply those lessons

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in our own cities.

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So it's like taking a seed and planting it in new soil,

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letting it grow into something new,

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but with that same core idea.

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Exactly, and it reminds us that these things take time.

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You need people working together and a lot of passion.

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Holsmart 25, it's not just an address in Berlin,

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it's like this example of what we can do

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when we put community, creativity, and sustainability first.

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They've shown that there's another way to do things

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and that's a powerful message.

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It's inspiring.

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What could a Holsmart look like in your city?

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What could you create if everyone worked together?

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Think about it.

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And as always, keep diving deep.