EstablishedCLM-0342 · checked 2026-10-23
Telosa was unveiled in September 2021 as a 150,000-acre city for a target of 5 million people, with a first phase of 50,000 residents costing an estimated $25 billion and a total above $400 billion.[1]
Network polityHybrid
Telosa (proposed city, United States)
A planned new city announced in 2021 by entrepreneur Marc Lore, built on 'equitism': land held by a community endowment whose appreciation would fund public services. No site has been selected.
American West or Appalachia (site not chosen), United States
- Location
- American West or Appalachia (site not chosen), United States
- Operating since
- 2021
- Governance
- Hybrid
- Legal status
- Not applicable
- Economy
- Mixed
- Autonomy level
- Program within an existing state
- Uses AI in governance
- No
Lore, a former head of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, announced Telosa in 2021 with Bjarke Ingels Group as master planner. The plan sets out a 150,000-acre city of up to 5 million people on cheap, unclaimed land in the American West or Appalachia. A non-profit endowment would own the land and lease it, using rising land values to fund education, housing, health and transport. Governance is described only in outline: residents would take part in budgeting, and Lore has said the city would be run like a startup. As of 2026 no land has been acquired or chosen, and the project is a long-term personal aim.
Timeline
- Jan 2021Marc Lore leaves his post as president and CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce. [S2]Established
- Sept 2021Telosa is unveiled with a $400 billion estimate, a 5-million target population and Bjarke Ingels Group as designer. [S1]Established
- May 2026Lore says a team is still looking for land and calls Telosa a long-term legacy project behind his company Wonder. [S4]Established
Mechanisms in use
Outcomes & controversies
Renderings and a master plan exist; no site, construction or residents. BIG lists the project status as 'Idea'.
Claims
EstablishedCLM-0343 · checked 2026-10-23
Under 'equitism' a community endowment would own the land; ground-lease income and land appreciation would fund services such as education, housing, health and transport.[1][2]
HypothesisCLM-0344 · checked 2026-10-23
The promoters project that buying 200,000 acres and building a city of 5 million would raise the land's value to about $1 trillion and an endowment could earn $50 billion a year; these are the promoters' own estimates.[1]
EstablishedCLM-0345 · checked 2026-05-05
No site had been chosen as of mid-2026; in May 2026 Lore said a team was still looking for land, and BIG lists the project's status as 'Idea'.[1][2][3]