Bjarke Ingels and Marc Lore reveal plans for Telosa, 'world's most sustainable city'

– Marc Lore
Plans have been revealed for a US$400bn city which could be the home for up to 5 million people in the US.
Billionaire investor Marc Lore and architect Bjarke Ingels have teamed up for the ambitious Telosa project, which is being touted as a sustainable metropolis in the desert.
Lore – a serial entrepreneur who also served as president and CEO of Walmart US eCommerce until January 2021 – has set up a company called Junto Group to drive the project.
Junto consists of a team of urban planners, designers, historians, community engagement experts, economists, financial managers, scientists, and engineers from a variety of backgrounds.
As well as Bjarke Ingels, partners in the Telosa project include real estate consultants RCLCO, engineering giant Buro Happold and Archer, a firm developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
Lore said the project was based on a new model which he has dubbed "Equitism", where the land on which a city rests would be owned by the community living there.
"Capitalism has been an incredible economic model, but there are significant flaws, especially around income and wealth inequality," Lore said.
"Many of these flaws are a result of the land ownership model that America was built on.
"There’s a finite amount of land and that land was claimed generations ago — communities were created, tax dollars were used to invest in the land, and therefore the land increased in value over time with landowners not having to produce anything or take any risk.
"Land could essentially go from a barren piece of desert to a modern-day city worth billions – or even trillions.
"So what if that land had been owned by a community endowment?
"There’s plenty of land left – what if we had a clean slate to demonstrate this new model?
"Once I thought through the Equitism model, I realized there was an opportunity to build a new city from scratch to demonstrate how that model could work."
He also wants to make Telosa the most sustainable city in the world.
"From equitism, my focus turned to making Telosa the most sustainable city in the world," he added.
"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.
Our vision is big. It’s not only about creating the city of Telosa itself – one that sets the standard for urban, big city living.
"It’s also about the people – creating opportunity and equality, celebrating diversity and inclusion, and establishing a sense of pride for where we live.
"In the end, if we get Equitism right, it could serve as the blueprint for a new economic model that the world can learn and benefit from."
Lore is now looking for potential sites for Telosa.
Bjarke Ingels Marc Lore Walmert Junto Group Buro Happold TelosaBjarke Ingels-designed Oakland baseball stadium a step closer
Bjarke Ingels, Jean Nouvel and Kengo Kuma named as three finalist for Shenzhen Opera House project
BIG creates spiral museum for Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet


BIG's designs Prague concert hall to be vibrant centre of life

Mather & Co-designed Gretna Green Experience opens to the public

Project to save last major bellfoundry which cast bells for St Paul's and Washington National Cathedral

Perkins & Will reveals designs for net-zero sports and cultural centre in Toronto

World’s first living waterslides announced for Therme Manchester

Heatherwick reveals Volcano-inspired opera house designs for Hainan

Natural history museum planned for Abu Dhabi

Controversial London music venue, MSG Sphere, gets full planning permission

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Glasgow's iconic Burrell Collection reopens after five-year, £68.5m revamp

SB Architects delivers Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica with tree-house spa and private residences

Ole Scheeren designs vertical jungle resort complex in China

Designer Brian d’Souza launches Swell to create evocative soundscapes for physical environments

Basalt Architects create geothermal Forest Lagoon in the wilds of Iceland

Hot Pickle design £73m Guinness visitor attraction for Diageo in London

Amsterdam's new digital art centre Fabrique des Lumières will use tech to bring art alive

Pharrell Williams to launch tropical Bahamian beach resort

Banyan Tree curating solar-powered wellness retreat on private Mozambican island

Dubai Expo hits 10 million visits

Foster + Partners designs Dorchester Collection's first hotel in Middle East

Neil Jacobs reveals Six Senses Places concept for major cities

Orient Express returns to Italy after 46 years with six trains designed by Dimorestudio and new Rome hotel

400-year-old mineral spring will power Preidlhof’s €2m medicinal bath experience

Universal Beijing Resort reveals expansion plans for second phase

Pop-up stadium built with shipping containers opens ahead of 2022 World Cup

Playfulness will inspire Serenbe’s new wellness community, Spela

John McAslan + Partners-designed M7 cultural hub and museum opens in Doha

LPO Architects and GrecoDeco create vast subterranean wellness retreat for Oslo

Herzog and de Meuron’s M+ museum of visual culture distils essence of Hong Kong
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates