Marc Lore has High Hopes for Telosa, a Sustainable City in the Desert
American entrepreneur and billionaire Marc Lore was inspired by combining diversity, cleanliness and social structure. He wanted to create the “most open, most fair and most inclusive city in the world.” Thus, he had a vision to construct a new city in America to be erected in the middle of a desert named Telosa.
Since the “15-minute city design” has been making waves recently, the former President and CEO of Waltermart U.S. e-commerce has revealed plans for Telosa, a smart, eco-friendly and sustainable community that provides a healthy, green environment where places of work and leisure are within 15 minutes from one’s home.
Marc Lore enlisted the help of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to design it. The digital renderings were also revealed along side the project’s announcement. The team behind Telosa is currently scouting locations in the United States and the contenders include Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas and the Appalachian region.
In BIG’s designs, greenery would be incorporated in residential buildings with the aim of residents enjoying sprawling gardens and open space. A plan for a skyscraper, named Equitism Tower, was also introduced, in the hope that this would serve as “a beacon for the city.” Aeroponic farms, elevated water storage and photovoltaic roof that produces energy would allow for distribution and sharing of all produce.
BIG’s founder, Danish architect Bjarke Ingels viewed Telosa as the embodiment of the social and environmental care of Scandinavian culture, and the freedom and opportunity of a more American culture.
The goal was to accommodate 50,000 residents on 1,500 acres on the first phase, and this would be setting the company back by $25 billion. Should everything progress according to plan, the target population of Telosa would be 5 million people within four decades.
“Cities that have been built to date from scratch are more like real estate projects. They don’t start with people at the center. Because if you started with people at the center, you would immediately think, ‘OK, what’s the mission and what are the values?” – Marc Lore
Telosa was hailed from the Greek word ‘telos,’ which the ancient philosopher Aristotle referred to as the highest potential or inherent purpose of a person or object. Aside from the attraction of its groundbreaking and innovative urbanization, the city symbolizes a “new model for society.” The metropolis would include a community endowment, which would offer residents their own share of the land.
The project would need over $400 billion in funds, which would come from, but not exclusive to, private investors, philanthropists, economic development subsidies, and federal and state grants. The target is to open the city to residents by 2030.
Photos by BIG and Bucharest Studio
