Telosa: Marc Lore and Bjarke Ingel unveil plans for a city of 5 million people in the American desert

The cleanliness of Tokyo, the diversity of New York and the social services of Stockholm: billionaire Marc Lore laid out his vision for a “new city in America” of 5 million people and appointed a world-renowned architect for the design.

Now, he just needs a place to build it – and $ 400 billion in funding.

The former Walmart executive last week unveiled plans for Telosa, a sustainable metropolis 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 supposedly drought-tolerant water system. A so-called “15-minute city design” will allow residents to access their workplaces, schools and amenities within a quarter of an hour from their homes.

While planners are still researching locations, possible targets include Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas and the Appalachian region, according to the project’s official website.

The announcement was accompanied by a series of digital renderings by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the architectural firm hired to bring Lore’s utopian dream to life. The images show residential buildings covered in greenery and imagined residents enjoying abundant open space. With fossil fuel vehicles banned in the city, self-driving vehicles are pictured roaming the sunlit streets alongside scooters and pedestrians.

Another image shows a skyscraper project, nicknamed Equitism Tower, which is described as “a beacon for the city”. The building has an elevated water tank, aeroponic farms and a photovoltaic roof producing energy that allow it to “share and distribute whatever it produces”.

The first phase of construction, which would accommodate 50,000 residents on 1,500 acres, has an estimated cost of $ 25 billion. The entire project is expected to exceed $ 400 billion, with the city reaching its target population of 5 million within 40 years.

Funding will come from “a variety of sources,” the project organizers said, including private investors, philanthropists, federal and state grants and economic development grants. Town planners hope to approach state officials “very soon”, with a view to welcoming the first inhabitants by 2030.

A new urban model

In addition to innovative urban design, the project also promises transparent governance and what it calls a “new model of society”. Taking its name from the ancient Greek word ‘telos’ (a term used by the philosopher Aristotle to describe an inherent or superior purpose), the city would allow residents to ‘participate in the decision-making and budgeting process’. A community endowment will provide residents with joint ownership of the land.

In a promotional video, Lore described his proposal as “the most open, fair and inclusive city in the world”.

On Telosa’s official website, Lore explains that he was inspired by American economist and social theorist Henry George. The investor cites the “major flaws” of capitalism, attributing many of them to the “model of land ownership upon which America was built.”

“Cities that have been built from scratch so far are more like real estate projects,” Lore said in a promotional video for the project. “They don’t start with people at the center. Because if you started with people at the center, you would immediately think to yourself, “OK, what is the mission and what are the values? “

“Telosa’s mission is to create a more equitable and sustainable future. This is our polar star.”

The founder of BIG, the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, has meanwhile said that Telosa “embodies the social and environmental concern of Scandinavian culture, as well as the freedom and opportunities of a more American culture”.