BIG’s vision for Marc Lore’s desert city continues to evolve with mobility hubs, green streets, and iconic architecture.
City Concept and Design Goals
Telosa, the ambitious “built-from-scratch” city spearheaded by Marc Lore and designed by BIG, aims to reimagine urban living in the American desert. First announced in 2021, the city targets an initial move-in by 2030 and hopes to host five million residents by 2050. New renderings display its defining elements, including a circular, open-air mobility hub with four flat wooden tiers surrounded by twin chrome rails. Autonomous vehicles, known as Ground to Air (G2A), appear in multiple modes: hovering above rails, gliding along the track, and moving on wheels at the center.
The design stretches across undulating blocks and integrates public spaces like a sports village housed in an elongated silver structure. Roads converge at the Equitism Tower, a striking timber landmark with a lattice facade described by BIG as a “beacon for the city.” Projected features include aeroponic farms, water storage, and a photovoltaic roof, aligning with sustainability goals.
Equitism: A New Governance Model
At the core of Telosa lies Equitism, an economic system where community-owned land funds public services. The concept keeps capitalist principles but adds revenue-sharing from land sales, aiming to improve social services without extra taxes. Telosa emphasizes that “as the city does better, the residents do better.”
The master plan also highlights renewable energy, drought-resistant water systems, and open public forums for decision-making. BIG’s team stresses intentional design and community participation as key to success. CEO Jon Mallon notes that prior projects focused on technology and infrastructure struggled, whereas people-first approaches achieved better outcomes.
Next Steps and Global Context
Currently, the project is moving from design toward community engagement. BIG and Telosa’s foundation continue to host forums with future residents and partners, including governance experts and data firms. Updates are expected later this year as planning advances.
Telosa joins other futuristic urban concepts worldwide, such as BIG’s BiodiverCity in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia’s partially built Neom. Meanwhile, Senegal’s Akon City, once valued at $6 billion, was recently abandoned for a “realistic project,” underscoring the challenges of visionary city building