Yeah, I wish Billy was around to pitch in with a Saint-Simeon quote. :’-}
Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 19, 2021, at 15:14, Chris Hahn <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I love the idealism and hope it works. I have read about these communities > in the past, with various degrees of success. > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_utopian_communities > > From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On > Behalf Of Centroids > Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2021 2:38 PM > To: Centroids Discussions <[email protected]> > Subject: [RC] Billionaire Marc Lore outlines how he will build the inclusive, > Utopian desert city Telosa > > Worth doing, as longs as he collects good data to inform future efforts… > > > > Billionaire Marc Lore outlines how he will build the inclusive, Utopian > desert city Telosa > https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/10/17/how-billionaire-marc-lore-plans-create-utopian-desert-city-telosa/5991523001/ > (via Instapaper) > > | USA TODAY > Marc Lore grew up wanting to be a farmer – reveling at the idea of "something > growing from nothing" – all while watching his father unafraid to take > chances with ambitious business ventures. > > The 50-year-old billionaire developed his appetite for taking risks from his > father, Peter, and it's that foundation in childhood that's propelling him to > now focus on a spellbindingly ambitious endeavor that many experts and > pundits are deeming near impossible. > > Lore, the former president of Walmart e-commerce and co-founder of Jet.com > and Diapers.com, is attempting to spearhead the conceptual and financial > building blocks for Telosa, a Utopian city in the middle of the desert > announced last month. > > Telosa's location is being targeted in the Appalachia or American West desert > with plans to shepherd in a reformed version of capitalism with a focus on > societal inclusion over division. Lore envisions Telosa having equal access > health care, excellent schooling and safe environments for families, > regardless of income. Even further, he aims for Telosa to be a diverse place > housing various races, genders, sexual orientations, religions and political > affiliations. > > But exactly how the "city of the future" is built is both risky and > complicated. Experts and researchers have long maintained that too many > financial hurdles can stand in the way, with one 2014 study arguing that "the > ability of eco-cities to achieve their utopian ambitions may be limited by > the realities of operating within a profit-driven, entrepreneurial planning > environment." > > Yet that's where Lore feels like Telosa can be different, and understanding > the colossal "how" of the project means understanding the "why" for Lore. > > Telosa's name derives from the Ancient Greek word telos – meaning "higher > purpose." Conceptual art of Telosa looks like it's pulled from a science > fiction movie. Nearly everything appears fueled by solar power energy, > autonomous electric cars and high-speed public transportation. Designs from > architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the same company that created > Google and Apple's headquarters, shows 150,000 acres of eco-friendly > architecture, including a beacon-esque skyscraper known as the "Equitism > Tower." > > The headlines of Telosa last month honed in on the $400 billion objective > that will take massive buy-in from key investors to even get the project off > the ground. Factor in Lore's lofty goals that start with a first phase of > 50,000 living residents to be welcomed into the city by 2030, and the public > skepticism is hardly hidden. > > That's not lost on Lore, who sees the attempt – similar to those of his > father growing up – just as important as the end goal. > > "I'm not pursuing this to make money," said Lore, a co-owner of the NBA's > Minnesota Timberwolves. "I'm doing this because of what it can mean for > others and the future. If this entire attempt doesn't work, then hopefully > there are things to learn from itand it will inspire others to take their > shot." > > A 'global standard for living' > > Lore is cognizant of the optics that can come from attaching his name – and > value system – to a city starting from the ground up. > > But the entrepreneur said his role is mostly to provide a placeholder for the > people to create the city's culture themselves. Telosa's official website > promotes future residents always being connected to community and nature > while setting a "global standard for living" with the goal of expanding > "human potential." > > "I don't want to be the ruler of the city; this is more of a public service," > Lore said. "I'm wanting to give it a place to grow and flourish. It's not > meant to be a private city; it's meant to be a city for everyone – with an > innovative way we live." > > Lore calls his model "equitism" and it would allow any Telosa citizen to > build their home and sell it, while the city would retain ownership of the > land that's underneath. By that set-up, in a dream scenario, Lore believes > Telosa's desert land would eventually balloon in value to be worth $1 > trillion. Lore said that land value, which could come out to $50 billion from > investments and endowments, would go directly toward the city's funding to > ensure that every family has equal access to health care, good schooling and > a safe environment, regardless of income. > > Top-down economic models present complications, but they've been achieved > elsewhere. The concept of community-owned land on a large scale is on display > in Singapore, where the government owns 90% of the country's land and then > the proceeds are reinvested in the country. While there's skepticism, Lore's > hope is to provide a blueprint for other future cities, noting that so many > U.S. cities today have become ingrained in politics where bridges of trust > have been fractured over time. > > "The sole purpose of creating a city in the desert would be so it's owned by > the community, basically take all the appreciation of the land and give it > back to the citizens," Lore said. "Taxes paid will go back to the city for > infrastructure – roads, tunnels and bridges – so everyone would know exactly > where their money is going. > > How does someone become a resident of Telosa? > > The selection process for the first 50,000 in Telosa is yet to be determined > but will likely be done by application. One thing Lore can promise is that > inclusion of varying races, genders, sexual orientations and religions will > be a top priority. > > Still, selection could be one of the tallest hurdles for Telosa from a public > perception standpoint. Simply naming qualifications for citizens can have a > discriminatory connotation. One lure to draw people to Telosa will be a > Lore-created venture capital fund that could house startups that relocate to > the city. But what will the other careers of first citizens be? > > "We can't create a city without some early nudging to move to the city," Lore > said. "We'll have to kickstart in an unconventional way, but the hope is > we'll position the people to grow a culture." > > Lore said much of the framework for the first "settlers" will be sorted out > with aid from his team of 50 volunteers and full-timers made up of > architects, historians, researchers, economists, creatives, designers, > engineers and climate experts. > > Once the first phase begins in 2030, Lore said the hope of the equitism model > is to let the people drive the creation of the city's culture and then > accentuate the diversity through respect and an equal value system. > > "How does a city have a soul?" Lore said. "It's not about buildings and > roads, it's about the values and the city standing for something. We don't > know what that is yet, but we want to find out." > > Concerns of division, belief in inclusion > > Lore said Telosa will be intentionally apolitical with its creation and > potential launch. > > "We want to involve Democrats and Republicans, people with differing > opinions," he said. "How do we bring people together? It's always in the how. > We intend to be transparent as one team with one vision." > > One approach to zero in on an inclusive culture, Lore said, is by looking at > future citizens from more of a psychological lens vs. a sociological lens – > focusing on the nuances of what makes individuals tick vs. the semantics of > the whole. > > "One of the things I discovered working with (companies) was how much trust > builds relationships and trust impacts culture," Lore said. "Something > magical happens when people trust that you're living by a set of values and > being honest about it. When I was at Jet, the directors made the same salary > and that was known. The transparency and fairness mean something." > > In conjunction with financial buy-in, there will be practical challenges to > address. But Lore said he sees Telosa as an opportunity to test highly > researched theories in a way that's not possible otherwise. > > One of those concerns will be a sufficient water system in the desert. "It > will require us to use technology in ways we're not today so that we can have > a city live off of 80% less water per person. That can set up a future we're > prepared for where water is more scarce." > > This isn't the first time that a Utopian city has been attempted by a wealthy > person. Bill Gates announced in 2017 plans to build a smart city outside of > Phoenix on 2,800 acres. Millionaire Jeffrey Berns also bought 67,000 acres in > Nevada for a smart city. > > But Lore sees his vision as different. > > "I'm very open to others' opinions and I want (Telosa) to be based on the > collective thinking of people in the world," Lore said. > > Lore has plans to step aside more if and when Telosa is off the ground. In > the meantime, that childhood dream of creating something out of nothing is > closer to coming to its fruition. > > "I don't have all the answers," Lore said. "But each day I'm learning." > > > > Sent from my iPhone > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/RadicalCentrism/DB078348-9F9B-441F-A28F-2E5B3D9511C3%40radicalcentrism.org. > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/RadicalCentrism/01da01d7c536%24a0df17c0%24e29d4740%24%402chahn.com. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/RadicalCentrism/36D3CC86-9939-453E-9BF4-1C340224EB9C%40radicalcentrism.org.
