Last Updated on June 10, 2023

American billionaire Marc Lore, former CEO of Walmart, has announced a utopian project for the creation of Telosa, a sustainable $400 billion metropolis he hopes to create in the American desert.

The ambitious proposal, which should cover about 106 square kilometers, will accommodate 5 million people and promises an ecological architecture, sustainable energy production and a water system capable of making the most of scarce resources.

To build it, funds for 400 billion dollars are needed, meanwhile the entrepreneur has already entrusted the project to the prestigious American architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group, which has released the first digital renderings, in order to convince investors.

Telosa city's streets will be geared towards cyclists and pedestrians.
Concept model for the desert megacity. Photo courtesy of Telosa.

In addition to an innovative urban design, the project also promises a “new model for society”. Taking its name from the ancient Greek word “telos” (a term used by the philosopher Aristotle to describe a higher purpose), the city would allow residents to “participate in decision-making” and a community convention would offer, to residents, shared ownership of land.


City of the Future

With the cleanliness of Tokyo, the diversity of New York and the social services of Stockholm, Telosa claims to be a city of the not-too-distant future.

The first phase with the relocation of 50,000 “diverse” people on 1,500 acres will cost an estimated 25 billion and should begin in 2030. In 40 years from now, then everything should be running at full capacity.

Including governance, which inspired (as the name suggests) by the “telos” of Aristotelian memory aims at the construction of objects and structures in function of the pursuit of higher objectives.

According to Lore, on the other hand, “the cities built on Earth have been thought of exclusively as real estate projects, without placing people at the center. We want to overturn such a conception. People will be our polar star”.

Founder Big Bjarke Ingels echoed him: “Telosa embodies the social and environmental care of Scandinavian culture and the opportunities of American society“. Perfectly in line with other projects brought forward over time by the celebrated architectural firm.

This one has signed the ski slope on the Copenhagen waste to energy plant, the Google offices in California and London and, above all, a city of 2 thousand people at the foot of Mount Fuji, commissioned by Toyota. In size, not exactly Telosa, but featuring self-driving vehicles and massive use of artificial intelligence.

Telosa, the $400 billion city of the future
Rendering of a $400 billion desert city. Photo courtesy of Telosa.

Suistainable Cities

Designed to accommodate 5 million people, Telosa, which will occupy approximately 600 square kilometers in the United States, is a model city of the future based on equity, inclusiveness and sustainability.

Water recycling, renewables and sustainable mobility are at the heart of this visionary project in which every citizen will be involved in the stewardship of the earth. A focal point of the city will be its transportation the streets of Telosa will prioritize bikes and pedestrians, as well as slow-moving autonomous cars, over fossil fuel-dependent vehicles.

Telosa will be a city focused on sustainable mobility, where bicycles and pedestrians will always have priority. Electric cars will safely share the road with people and green spaces.

Ample space will be reserved for education centers, cultural centers and stores, which will be surrounded by shaded public spaces available to residents for meetings and cultural exchanges.


Where will Telosa be built?

There is still no precise location where Telosa will be built, but the city is expected to be located somewhere in the deserts of southwestern US. As of 2023, the most likely candidates to host Telosa are the states of Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

According to the project timeline, Telosa’s first residents will begin moving into the city by 2030. Interested in becoming a resident? You can apply on the official website of the city of Telosa.


Read more: Is Marc Lore’s $400 Billion Desert Utopia the Future of Sustainable Cities or Just a Pipe Dream?

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