An ambitious plan to build a new city with a population of 5 million by investing $400 billion (460 trillion won) in desert areas in the United States is being led by a civilian.
CNN broadcasts on the 6th (local time) that former Walmart executive and billionaire Mark Rohr announced plans for a sustainable metropolis 'Telosa' and designated Biyake Ingels Group (BIG) as the world's leading architectural firm to design it. reported.
Telosa pursues the same cleanliness as Tokyo, Japan, the diversity of New York, USA, and the social services of Stockholm, Sweden.
Telosa covers an area of 150,000 acres (607 km2), roughly equivalent to Seoul at 605.2 km2.
The city aims to be a sustainable metropolis, with green architecture, sustainable energy production and drought-tolerant water systems.
In addition, it advocates for a '15-minute city' where residents can easily access work, school, and various convenience facilities.
A bird's-eye view of the Telosa website shows residents enjoying green-covered residential buildings and plentiful vacant lot, while fossil-fueled cars are banned in the city and self-driving cars follow scooters and passersby through sunny streets. .
The iconic skyscraper, Equitism Tower, features a tall reservoir, hydroponic farm and solar-powered roof.
It has not yet been decided where the city will be built, but Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas and the Appalachian region are being considered as candidates, CNN reported.
The first phase of the 40-year project is to create space for 50,000 people at a cost of $25 billion on 1,500 acres, one hundredth of its ultimate goal.
The construction cost will be financed by private investment, donations from private land, and government subsidies.
In addition to innovative urban design, the planners also promised transparent management that they called a 'new model for society'.
Residents participate in the decision-making and budgeting process, and have joint ownership of the land.
The name of the city is derived from the word 'telos', which was used by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to mean one or more purpose.
Rohr, who promotes this business, founded 'jet.com' and sold it to Wal-Mart, and joined Wal-Mart's US e-commerce division in 2016.
When he resigned from Wal-Mart earlier this year, he made an appearance on TV and gave advice to the founder as his retirement plan to build a 'city of the future'.
He said that he was inspired by the American economist and social theorist Henry George, and that capitalism has major flaws and that much of it is due to land ownership.
BIG Founder Biyake Ingels explained that Telosa embodies the social and environmental management of Scandinavian culture and the American culture of freedom and opportunity.
(Photo = Telosa Twitter, Yonhap News)