While billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are busy battling in space, another has a bigger plan: To make Earth a better place to live.
Marc Lore, who made his fortune as a top executive at Walmart, wants to build a new city in America that would be home to 5 million inhabitants. And he’s appointed a world-famous architect to design the city, CNN reported.
The outlet reported that Lore last week “unveiled plans for Telosa, a sustainable metropolis that he hopes to create, from scratch, in the American desert. The ambitious 150,000-acre proposal promises eco-friendly architecture, sustainable energy production and a purportedly drought-resistant water system. A so-called ’15-minute city design’ will allow residents to access their workplaces, schools and amenities within a quarter-hour commute of their homes.”
“We have a chance to prove a new model for society that offers people a higher quality of life and greater opportunity. When I look out 30 years from now, I imagine Equitism serving as a blueprint for other cities — and even the world — and Telosa being a place of pride for all who live there,” Lore told CNN.
The site for the proposed city has not yet been picked, but planners are scouting places in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and the Appalachian region, according to the project’s official website. The projected move-in date is 2030.
Our vision is to create a new city in America that sets a global standard for urban living, expands human potential, and becomes a blueprint for future generations.#CityofTelosa #NewCity #CityoftheFuture pic.twitter.com/T9OO5ub6OT
— City of Telosa (@CityofTelosa) September 1, 2021
On its website, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the architecture firm, includes a slew of futuristic drawings of the city, complete with residences covered with greenery. “With fossil-fuel-powered vehicles banned in the city, autonomous vehicles are pictured traveling down sun-lit streets alongside scooters and pedestrians,” CNN wrote.
“Another image depicts a proposed skyscraper, dubbed Equitism Tower, which is described as ‘a beacon for the city.’ The building features elevated water storage, aeroponic farms and an energy-producing photovoltaic roof that allow it to ’share and distribute all it produces,’” the outlet added.
The website says the city will be “open,” “fair” and “inclusive.”
“We believe in a safe and welcoming community that freely exchanges ideas and information to build accountability, competency, authenticity, and trust,” the website says. “We believe people should have equal access to opportunity and share in the prosperity that they help create. We believe everyone is an important and valued member of the community and their voice should be heard, contributing to new possibilities.”
The website also lays out how the city will work. “The endowment will own and manage the donated land which will generate income from ground leases and appreciation to support enhanced city services in the form of education, housing, health, and jobs/retraining.” A “transparent participatory democracy will be led by a council and city manager model with strong community engagement and involvement. The City Charter will be mission and vision oriented to put people first.”
And the site sets out how it will be designed, saying it will feature a “better architectural and mobility master plan to improve the quality of life of all residents. This includes greater environmental sustainability, higher safety, less noise and pollution, more economic efficiency and a new 15-minute city design that changes the perception of geography, sense of time, cost, and experience.”