One of America's top billionaires is backing the construction of a 15-minute city in the middle of the American West desert, called Telosa.
The city, which is the brainchild of former Walmart president Marc Lore, hopes to have five million residents by 2050, and would be built using sustainable, eco-friendly structures. While no set timeline for construction has been announced, the project has said that the first residents will be "ready to move in 2030."
Concept images of the city show futuristic cable-car systems, miles of greenhouses and solar panels, and the city's centrepiece skyscraper, the Equitism Tower. Cars that use traditional fossil fuels for power will be banned in the city.
The city would start out with a population of 50,000 people, before growing to reach five million. Lore aims to build Telosa in Appalachia, or the American West desert, on cheap land.
The development team has said that they are currently scouting for potential locations, with a starting area of around 30,000 acres. Lore wants to secure $400 billion in funding, from sources like private investors, philanthropists, federal and state grants, and economic development subsidies.
The city's name comes from the Greek phrase "Telos", which means "the highest purpose".
Lore has said that the driving principle behind the city is equitism, which he defines as "an economic system in which citizens have a stake in the land; as the city does better, the residents do better."
"The mission of Telosa is to create a more equitable and sustainable future. That's our North Star."
The development team said that the defining values of Telosa were openness, fairness, and inclusivity, saying: "Our vision 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."
Automation is also a core part of Telosa's design. Lore has said that he wants driverless cars and ariel vehicles throughout the city, to reduce the burden on residents. Additionally, Telosa would have a community endowment scheme, giving each resident shared ownership of the land.
According to its website, the city will be run as a "transparent participatory democracy," with both a council and a city manager to encourage community engagement and involvement. Telos would also have a City Charter that "will be mission and vision-oriented to put people first."
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Theo Burman is a Newsweek Live News Reporter based in London, U.K. He writes about U.S. politics and international news, ... Read more