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10 posts found
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Oct 28, 2025
acx
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27 min 4,093 words 239 comments 221 likes podcast (25 min)
Scott surveys the current state of charter city projects worldwide, from Grand Bahama's potential revival to California Forever's bureaucratic progress to Prospera's legal battles in Honduras. Longer summary
Scott provides updates on several charter city and model city projects around the world. He covers Grand Bahama's potential sale to a charter city company after decades of decline, California Forever's progress through bureaucratic approval processes, Prospera's legal standoff with the Honduran government ahead of elections, and Sherbro Island City in Sierra Leone backed by the grandson of the country's first president and actor Idris Elba. The post ends with brief updates on various other projects, including separatist communities in the US, Trump's Freedom Cities plan, and a new special economic zone in Nevis. Shorter summary
Feb 03, 2025
acx
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19 min 2,856 words 247 comments 236 likes podcast (17 min)
A roundup of recent developments in charter cities and model city projects, including setbacks for Prospera and NEOM, new proposals in the US, and updates on various other projects worldwide. Longer summary
This post covers recent developments in various charter city and model city projects worldwide. It starts with Prospera in Honduras being declared unconstitutional, discussing their two-pronged strategy of waiting for political change and pursuing international arbitration. It then covers Saudi Arabia's NEOM project scaling back its ambitions, Trump's proposal for 'freedom cities' in America, California Forever's strategic pivot in Solano County, and Bhutan's ambitious Geluphu Mindfulness City project. The post ends with brief updates on other model city projects including Praxis, Fumba, Esmeralda, and Kanye West's Middle East plans. Shorter summary
Jan 11, 2024
acx
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37 min 5,649 words 414 comments 100 likes podcast (31 min)
Scott Alexander responds to comments on his capitalism vs charity post, clarifying his argument and addressing various counterpoints and suggested capitalist charities. Longer summary
Scott Alexander responds to comments on his previous post about capitalism and charity. He clarifies that he's discussing a specific near-mode situation of how to best use a limited amount of money for improving human welfare, not running a 'Moral Worth Tournament' between capitalism and charity. He addresses arguments for investing in capitalism over charity, discussing issues like compounding returns, marginal utility, and the eventual need for consumption. Scott also explores specific capitalist charities suggested by commenters, including charter cities and microfinance, noting the lack of strong empirical evidence for many of these interventions. He concludes by stating what kind of evidence would change his mind on this topic. Shorter summary
Jun 28, 2022
acx
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22 min 3,389 words 175 comments 63 likes podcast (26 min)
The post updates on charter cities, covering the repeal of Honduras' ZEDE law, Disney's Reedy Creek dissolution, and new projects like Afropolitan, while discussing ongoing developments and challenges. Longer summary
This post provides updates on several charter city and model city projects. It discusses the repeal of the ZEDE law in Honduras and its impact on existing projects like Prospera, the dissolution of Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District in Florida, and the launch of Afropolitan, a new digital nation concept. The post also covers Prospera's ongoing development despite legal challenges, including new resorts, construction projects, and a gene therapy company. Finally, it touches on other model city developments and provides predictions for the future of these projects. Shorter summary
Dec 06, 2021
acx
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21 min 3,142 words 112 comments 38 likes podcast (26 min)
Scott Alexander examines recent developments in model cities, including political threats to ZEDEs in Honduras, El Salvador's Bitcoin city plan, and the mysterious Praxis project. Longer summary
This blog post discusses recent developments in model cities and charter cities. It covers the political situation in Honduras affecting ZEDEs, El Salvador's plan for a Bitcoin-themed city, the mysterious Praxis project, and other model city news. The post critically examines each project, analyzing their feasibility, potential impact, and the motivations behind them. Scott Alexander provides context, expresses skepticism where appropriate, and offers insights into the challenges and opportunities these projects face. Shorter summary
Nov 08, 2021
acx
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26 min 3,942 words 154 comments 51 likes podcast (32 min)
Scott Alexander reviews several model city projects, analyzing their feasibility and unique challenges with a mix of skepticism and interest. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses several model city projects, including Telosa (a planned Georgist utopia in the American desert), Prospera (a libertarian charter city in Honduras), Auroville (an existing spiritual community in India), and other related developments. He analyzes the feasibility, challenges, and unique aspects of each project, often with a skeptical but open-minded perspective. Shorter summary
Aug 02, 2021
acx
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20 min 3,086 words 91 comments 50 likes podcast (21 min)
Scott discusses recent developments in charter cities, including new projects in Honduras, a hypothetical project called Mariposa, and the growth of megachurches in Nigeria into city-like entities. Longer summary
This post covers several developments in the charter city space. Scott first discusses two new ZEDE projects in Honduras - Orquidea, an agricultural project, and Mariposa, a hypothetical city proposed by a husband-wife team. He notes the contrast between Orquidea's secrecy and Mariposa's public presence, reflecting on how serious projects often stay quiet to avoid opposition. The post then explores how religious communities can form the nucleus of new cities, using the example of Nigerian megachurches that have grown into city-like entities. Finally, Scott provides brief updates on other charter city efforts, including the failure of the 'Hammer City' project and potential new legislation in other countries. Shorter summary
Jul 05, 2021
acx
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22 min 3,311 words 204 comments 78 likes podcast (24 min)
Scott Alexander explores various modern independence-seeking projects, including charter cities and secessionist movements, discussing their potential and challenges. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses various modern-day independence-seeking projects like charter cities, utopian communes, and secessionist movements. He covers the Free State Project in New Hampshire and a similar proposal for Montenegro in Europe. The post then examines the Charter Cities Institute's claims about the effectiveness of charter cities, including a critical analysis by Rethink Priorities. Scott also describes the Black Hammer organization's plan for Hammer City, a proposed city for people of color. Finally, he discusses the current state of charter cities, including concerns about their size and governance models, and considers whether charter cities can truly drive large-scale economic development. Shorter summary
Apr 14, 2021
acx
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88 min 13,541 words 541 comments 238 likes podcast (79 min)
Scott Alexander examines Próspera, a new charter city project in Honduras, detailing its plans, governance, and potential impact while addressing criticisms and limitations. Longer summary
Scott Alexander provides a comprehensive overview of Próspera, a new charter city project in Honduras. He explains its origins, current status, ambitious plans, governance structure, and potential impact. The post also addresses criticisms and concerns about the project, while acknowledging its limitations and potential benefits. Shorter summary
Oct 04, 2018
ssc
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19 min 2,812 words 361 comments podcast (20 min)
Scott Alexander uses a thought experiment about a drum-free town to explore libertarian ideas on community rights, then applies these concepts to real-world housing issues and proposes charter cities as a potential solution. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explores the concept of community rights and individual freedoms through a thought experiment about a fictional town called Nodrumia. He uses this to discuss libertarian philosophy, property rights, and the balance between community preferences and individual liberties. The post then transitions to real-world applications, discussing NIMBYism and proposing charter cities as a potential solution to housing shortages. He uses the example of Irvine, California to illustrate how planned cities can be successful, and suggests that creating new cities might be easier than reforming existing ones to address housing crises. Shorter summary
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