[joshes]

It would be interesting to see a Kickstarter project devoted to this. It would need to get big fast (Friday deadline to submit an offer), and would need both the $440,000 minimum to purchase the village and ample money on top of that for renovation. It might be a hard sell for people who have no desire or ability to relocate to the village, but I am sure smarter folk than I could think of some sort of angle to generate attention to the project. Perhaps?

[ekianjo]

And what would you offer to Kickstarter supporters? A week for free in a dead village? A brick from the 13th century church ?

If people left the place there's a clear reason for that. Money is not going to bring back interest in a long-dead location. Unless you make it like a new Las Vegas.

[anmol]

Pay $1000/month for a combination of:

-- reasonable short-term accommodation, e.g., high-end youth hostel type

-- Shared office space e.g., Dogpatch Labs or General Assembly style

-- good internet and coffee

-- permission to work (visas, etc)

[nicksergeant]

For $1,000/month you can have all of that and more in basically any part of the country other than SF, NYC, L.A., etc.

[ekianjo]

For 1000 dollars a month you would probably get a much better deal in many places around the world, like in South East Asia. You'd get better weather there, too, and decent internet access. Not sure about the visa situation, though, but for sure getting a work visa in France is not easy and takes time.

[nicksergeant]

Any part of the U.S., that is.

[goblin89]

all of that and more —Including permission to work and visa?

[joshes]

Admittedly I know nothing of the regulations surrounding such a proposal, but what of some sort of revenue sharing? Donating to the project guarantees you a share in the village's revenue, where your cut is relative to your investment size? I fully understand how crazy of an idea this must sound.