Dr. Lung-Amam doubts “diversity” of planned utopian city

A rendering of Telosa. Image courtesy of CityofTelosa.com.

Dr. Willow Lung-Amam, NCSG Community Development Director, recently told SmartCitiesDive.com that she doubts the ability of billionaire Marc Lore’s planned utopian city, Telosa, to provide true equity and inclusion.

“The very premise of the planning is already exclusionary, is already not towards a public interest or a public good,” Lung-Amam said.

The city, which would be built from scratch on undeveloped land in the US Southeast, represents a privatization of city planning that could have negative effects, according to Lung-Amam.

And although the plan for the city touts environmentally sustainable features such as water re-use and renewable energy infrastructure, Lung-Amam noted other ways in which it is unsustainable.

“It’s essentially sprawling into the desert, which is not environmentally sustainable. It’s not accessible to blue-collar workers. It’s not accessible to people without transportation. It’s reliant upon new infrastructure and people who can afford cars and other kinds of amenities that are not part of the existing fabric of the community,” Lung-Amam said.

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