Get ready for Telosa, the most sustainable city in the world: Science fiction or reality?
Open, fair, inclusive and sustainable, equipped with environmentally friendly buildings, mixed-income housing, smart mobility, green spaces, aeroponic farms and job opportunities for all. This is Telosa, the first city of the future that will be built from scratch.
“No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.” That’s what the Greek philosopher Aristotle said. And he was right because it takes a certain amount of madness to imagine building a visionary metropolis of 5 million inhabitants from scratch in the middle of the American desert, where efficiency and sustainability are the slogan of this ambitious project managed and designed by the Danish architecture firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and commissioned by Marc Lore, a New York entrepreneur former president and CEO of Walmart and newest NBA owner.
The goal is “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.”
Telosa is derived from the ancient Greek word “telos”, a word used by Aristotle meaning “highest purpose”. But why this name, “Telosa”? Because the focal point of the city will be the people; it will be a place where citizens will have a real stake in the land and will able to share a dream of an inclusivity and equality.
What will it be like? According to Lore, “as vibrant and diverse as New York City, combined with the efficiency, safety and cleanliness of a city like Tokyo, combined with the social services, the sustainability and the governance model of a city like Stockholm.”
Telosa: an open, inclusive and sustainable city
Telosa will be a sustainable, open and inclusive city set to rise on an unoccupied 150,000-acre site in the western United States, an area yet to be defined, but potentially between the lands of Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas or in the Appalachian Mountains.
“From global warming to water and energy — How can we do better for future generations? And what technology and other innovations in policy and design can we embed in the city that is only possible because of the fact that we’re building it from scratch? Just imagine what’s possible with sustainable building materials, autonomous vehicles, electric aircraft, and underground movement of materials,” a press release stated.
According to the project, Telosa will be an ideal metropolis 2.0 where the main keywords are respect for the environment, zero-energy buildings and reduced emissions. This futuristic smart city will be built taking into account the principles of the circular economy and will be equipped with:
- a smart grid powered exclusively by renewable energy sources,
- an innovative system for water recycling and the treatment of grey water,
- an underground handling system to transport waste and goods safely and cleanly,
- roofs with photovoltaic systems,
- an elevated water storage,
- aeroponic farms for the cultivation of local produce.
And what about buildings and means of transport? Here is a list of the main new features/innovations:
- all the buildings will be sustainable and come with high-performance materials,
- bicycles and pedestrians will have the priority,
- slow-moving autonomous vehicles will safely share the street with people and nature,
- there will be an efficient public transport system,
- large public parks, training centers, cultural institutions and retail will promote sociability throughout the year.
Telosa: a fair and sustainable city ensuring equal opportunities to all
In addition to an innovative urban design, Telosa will be built on the values of equity, i.e. a new model that will fight against the rising inequality that exists in the United States.
“We have a chance to prove a new model for society that offers people a higher quality of life and greater opportunity,” Lore said in a statement.
A community endowment will own and manage the donated land which will generate income from ground leases and appreciation to support enhanced city services in the form of education, housing, healthcare, jobs/retraining and redevelopment.
And what about the symbol of the city? The Equitism tower, an innovative skyscraper equipped with solar panels, elevated water storage, and aeroponic farms, will ensure that everything is working properly
According to the project’s timeline, Telosa’s first residents will begin populating the city by 2030.
Are you ready to move to this futuristic megalopolis?
Maybe you will find Sotefin automated parking lots there too…
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