Insights September 20th, 2021

Former WalMart executive and billionaire Marc Lore is working with Bjarke Ingels in planning a new United States city he is calling Telosa (named after the greek word ‘TELOS’ meaning higher purpose).

It’s reportedly going to cost $500 billion to build and will have 50,000 residents living on 1,500 acres by 2030 growing to 5 million people by 2050.

Telosa is not utopia, but it’s trying hard to feel like the perfect place to live

They see a world of “training centers, cultural institutions, and retail spill out onto the street where shaded public spaces encourage residents to come together”. ICE vehicles are not allowed and no fossil fuels will not be permitted within the city, with an emphasis instead being placed upon walkability and the use of scooters, bicycles, and autonomous electric vehicles.

Perfect dreamlike place for the super-exclusive to hide away, and it’ll almost surely become almost cult-like (I guess like any significant city in the world).

They have a number of potential locations and here’s our take on the top 3 picks. Nevada – maybe the easiest due to new state laws, Utah – due to the temperate climate, and somewhere in the Appalachian Region – on the strategic East Coast. The 3 places they have listed we think they will not choose are Idaho – too far away from signficance, Arizona – too damn hot in the years to come, and Texas – too right wing and restrictive on female rights (c.mon Texas you’re better than walking back into the dark ages.

Here’s Nikolas speaking on CTV’s Future Fridays about Telosa and its challenges and potential:

About Nikolas Badminton, FRSA

Nikolas Badminton is the Chief Futurist at futurist.com and a world-renowned futurist speaker, consultant, researcher, and media producer. He helps trillion-dollar companies, progressive governments and the media shift their mindset from “what is” to “WHAT IF…” The result is empowered employees, new innovative products and incredible growth that leads to more revenues and a more resilient future.

Nikolas advised Robert Downey Jr.’s team for the ‘Age of A.I.’ documentary series, starred in ‘SMART DRUGS – a Futurist’s journey into biohacking’, and features on CTV, Global News, Sirius XM regularly. His mind-expanding research and opinion can be found on BBC, VICE, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Techcrunch, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Forbes, Sputnik and Venturebeat. 

Nikolas provides the opening chapter – ‘Start with Dystopia’ in a new book – ‘The Future Starts Now: Expert Insights into the Future of Business, Technology and Society’ for Bloomsbury. He is currently researching and writing a new book that equips executives and world leaders with insights and foresight tools to imagine disruption, strengthen strategic planning, and see unforeseen risks.Nikolas is a Fellow of The Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce – The RSA. The organization has been at the forefront of significant social impact for over 260 years with notable past fellows including Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Hawking, Nelson Mandela, and Tim Berners-Lee.

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Futurist Keynote Speaker and Consultant - Nikolas Badminton

CEO of EXPONENTIAL MINDS and an award-winning Futurist Speaker, researcher and author. His expertise and thought leadership will guide you from complacency to thinking exponentially, planning for longevity, and encouraging a culture of innovation. You will then establish resiliency and abundance in your organization. Please reach out to discuss how he can help you, and read on to see what is happening in the world this week.

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