Proposal for a $400 billion new city in the American desert announced

Tokyo's sanitization, New York's variety, and Stockholm's social services: Marc Lore, a billionaire, has laid forth his plans for a 5-million-person "new city in America" and has hired a world-renowned architect to create it.

Last week, the former Walmart executive presented plans for Telosa, a sustainable metropolis in the American desert that he aims to build from the ground up. The ambitious 150,000-acre concept promises environmentally friendly design, sustainable energy production, and a drought-resistant water system, according to the proposal. Residents will be able to access their workplaces, schools, and services within a quarter-hour travel of their residences, thanks to a so-called "15-minute city design"

According to the project's official website, probable targets include Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and the Appalachian region, however planners are still looking for locations.

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the architecture firm selected to bring Lore's utopian concept to life, released a series of digital renderings to accompany the news. The photographs depict greenery-covered residential structures with people enjoying plenty of open space. With fossil-fuel-powered cars prohibited in the city, autonomous vehicles are seen riding alongside scooters and people down brightly illuminated streets.

Another image shows the Equitism Tower, a proposed skyscraper billed as "a beacon for the city." The structure has elevated water storage, aeroponic farms, and a photovoltaic roof that generates electricity, allowing it to "share and distribute all it produces."

The first phase of building, which would accommodate 50,000 people across 1,500 acres, is expected to cost $25 billion. The total cost of the project is anticipated to be in excess of $400 billion, with the metropolis achieving its goal population of 5 million people in less than 40 years.

According to project organizers, funding will come from "various sources," including private investors, philanthropists, federal and state grants, and economic development subsidies. The plan is to approach state officials "very soon," with the goal of welcome the first residents by 2030.

The concept promises transparent governance and a "new model for society." in addition to innovative urban design. The city would allow citizens to "telos" taking its name from the ancient Greek word "participate in the decision-making and budgeting process." (a term used by philosopher Aristotle to describe an inherent or higher purpose). Meanwhile, residents will be able to share land ownership through a community endowment.

Lore presented his plan as the "most open, most fair and most inclusive city in the world." in a promotional video.

Lore created jet.com before selling it to Walmart in 2016 and becoming the retailer's CEO of US e-commerce. He announced his retirement plans earlier this year, which included working on a reality TV show, mentoring companies, and developing a "city of the future."

Lore states on Telosa's official website that he was influenced by Henry George, an American economist and social thinker. The investor points to capitalism's "significant flaws," many of which he attributes to "the land ownership model that America was built on."

"Cities that have been built to date from scratch are more like real estate projects," Lore said in a project promotional video. "They don't begin with people in the middle." Because if you start with people at the core, you'll instantly ask yourself, "OK, what is the mission and what are the values?"

"The mission of Telosa is to create a more equitable and sustainable future. That's our North Star."

Telosa "embodies the social and environmental care of Scandinavian culture, and the freedom and opportunity of a more American culture." according to BIG's founder, Danish architect Bjarke Ingels.

Ingels' firm, which famously placed a ski slope on top of a Copenhagen power station and co-designed Google's new headquarters in London and California, isn't planning its first new city.

Toyota announced in January 2020 that it had commissioned BIG to design a master plan for a new 2,000-person community in the Mount Fuji foothills. Although the project, named Woven City, is far smaller than Telosa, it offers autonomous vehicle testing, smart technology, and robot-assisted living.

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