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<\/p>\nNetwork cities \u2013 also known as city-states or technates \u2013 are technocrats’ playground for alternative societies where anything is possible. Funded entirely by technocratic billionaires, they make their own laws, with decisions made by scientific decree and without political discourse. They are free to pursue the transhumanist dream of immortality and experiment with psychedelic substances. This is the singular vision of arch-technocrats like Peter Thiel for the world.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Let’s call it the tech billionaire dilemma. You can only buy so many villas, jets, and yachts \u2013 what’s next? Apparently, building your own city.<\/p>\n
Venture capital investors want to build their own tech utopias and have made agreements with governments \u2013 especially in less economically developed countries \u2013 to start building luxury towers and golf courses in deregulated zones where, in some cases, they are allowed to decide for themselves what is legal.<\/p>\n
It \u201carose from dissatisfaction with current political systems<\/em>,\u201d says Mark Lutter, founder of the non-profit Charter Cities Institute, an organization that aims to \u201cempower new cities with better governance to lift tens of millions of people out of poverty<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n It’s easy to assume the motivation is to play God over one’s own kingdom. But Oliver Janssens, a Bitcoin millionaire who develops Destiny \u2013 a community on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts \u2013 told The Post<\/em>: \u201cPlaying God is the last action I want to do. The whole point is that you don’t need a God, so to speak<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are five projects \u2013 and one cautionary tale \u2013 that illustrate how wide the gap between vision and reality can be.<\/p>\n Prospera, Honduras<\/strong><\/p>\n Prospera already has around 1,000 residents living in what appears to be a typical, upscale gated community with its own beach and golf course. Part of the funding comes from mega-investor Peter Thiel, but it was founded by Erick Brimen, a Venezuelan asset manager.<\/p>\n Interestingly, the place has some of its own laws, including an arbitration process where a judge in the US decides cases via the internet. One of the biggest differences is the leniency shown towards longevity medications.<\/p>\n Health influencer Bryan Johnson is a fan and travelled there for a \u201cgene therapy that could change the future of humanity<\/em>.\u201d Studio apartments start at $120,000, while a 3,000-square-foot ocean-view villa costs around $850,000.<\/p>\n Destiny, St. Kitts and Nevis<\/strong><\/p>\n Oliver Janssens made several million with cryptocurrencies and was able to purchase four square miles of land on the Caribbean island of Nevis. He hopes to sell 1,000 units annually \u2013 with one goal: to create a family-friendly retreat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last aspect I want is 10,000 libertarians moving there<\/em>,\u201d he told The Post<\/em>. \u201cI want a safe place where middle-class to wealthy families can live their lives<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n While the rules are still being negotiated with the island government, Janssens says: \u201cWe are bound by the constitution [of St. Kitts and Nevis], which provides a kind of safeguard. Within our own system\u2026\u2026. it can be compared to a homeowners’ association where only the property owners make decisions<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you own property, you can set rules. If you want to modify the rules, you can propose a modification<\/em>.\u201d He envisions crypto becoming the local currency, and houses costing between $500,000 and $3 million. \u201cMy dream is a circular mansion with glass all around<\/em>,\u201d he said. \u201cNo matter where you stand, you\u2019ll see either the ocean or the volcano<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Alpha Cities, West Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n Not content with building just one city, Patri Friedman, through his venture capital fund Pronomos, is working on Alpha Cities \u2013 in the plural. Most of them, however, currently exist only on the drawing board.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very rich in renderings and very poor in everything else<\/em>,\u201d admitted Friedman, who was a professional poker player in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are working with a number of countries in West Africa and signing agreements to develop the country around industrial clusters<\/em>,\u201d Friedman said.<\/p>\n Typical of the tech world, the industries will include \u201celements like data centres powered by geothermal energy \u2013 of which there are enormous quantities in Africa \u2013 as well as the production of electric vehicles<\/em>.\u201d From the host countries\u2019 perspective, Friedman says, \u201cthey want to [take the example of Singapore]. To rise from the Third World to the First World \u2013 that is, so to speak, the goal<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n California Forever<\/strong><\/p>\n Unlike other projects of this kind, the aim here is to create a city that follows a classic American ideal, rather than one whose founders want to reinvent the law.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about restoring the California Dream and the American Dream<\/em>,\u201d a spokesperson for California Forever told The Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n With one billion dollars in funding, around 94 square miles of land, and backers such as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capital investor Mark Andreessen, the project enjoys considerable goodwill.<\/p>\n It’s the idea of Jan Sramek, formerly a trader at Goldman Sachs. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027. \u201cWe want to achieve this with affordable housing in safe and walkable neighbourhoods<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The city is intended to have a centre for advanced manufacturing for the most innovative industries, such as aerospace and robotics, which are designed in California.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be a park that is larger than Central Park, and each neighbourhood will be built around a local shopping street<\/em>,\u201d the spokesman added.<\/p>\n Sherbro Island, Sierra Leone<\/strong><\/p>\n British actor Idris Elba may not be a tech entrepreneur, but he is the driving force behind the modernization of Sherbro Island in Sierra Leone, his father’s homeland.<\/p>\n At the beginning of this year, Elba and his partners received approval from the country’s government to transform Sherbro into a so-called \u201cEco-City project<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n Officially, it is a special economic zone. According to Forbes Africa<\/em>, the inspiration for developing the island came from his grandfather, who asked Elba to \u201cdo something for Sierra Leone<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n At its heart will be a wind farm, part of what Elba calls a \u201cculturally diverse international city that combines African tradition, dynamism and pride with state-of-the-art infrastructure and services<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n Akon City, Senegal<\/strong><\/p>\n How difficult it is to actually implement one of these projects is illustrated by Akon City in Senegal, which serves as a cautionary example. Supported by the famous R&B singer, Akon wanted to create a real-life Wakanda, the fictional setting of the superhero film Black Panther<\/em>.<\/p>\n The renderings looked impressive, and three miles of land in the town of Mbodi\u00e8ne were chosen to be transformed into a city of the future. It was to be powered by solar energy, feature state-of-the-art architecture, and trade using the singer’s own cryptocurrency, Akoin.<\/p>\n But by 2025, only a half-finished reception building had been completed, lacking roads, housing, or electricity. Akon admitted that his crypto project hadn’t worked out, that there was a lack of investment capital, and that the entire project was abandoned. Now, according to authorities, there are plans for a more \u201crealistic<\/em>\u201d project: a holiday resort.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n yogaesoteric <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Network cities \u2013 also known as city-states or technates \u2013 are technocrats’ playground for alternative societies where anything is possible. Funded entirely by technocratic billionaires, they make their own laws, with decisions made by scientific decree and without political discourse. They are free to pursue the transhumanist dream of immortality and experiment with psychedelic substances. 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<\/p>\n
\nJanuary 27, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n