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Building Tomorrow: The Global Race to Create Cities From Scratch

• David (Viacheslav) Davidenko

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What drives humanity's persistent urge to build new cities from scratch? From ancient civilizations to modern metropolises, we've always sought to escape limitations and create fresh opportunities through urban development. Today, this age-old impulse has reached unprecedented heights with ambitious projects emerging worldwide.

Our deep dive explores 2025's most fascinating new city initiatives, comparing radically different approaches to urban creation. Saudi Arabia's $500 billion Neom represents the theatrical future—a linear megacity stretching 170km along the Red Sea coastline, targeting nine million residents by 2045. But can such top-down engineering overcome delays and soaring costs to become a functioning community?

Meanwhile, Egypt takes a more pragmatic path with its new administrative capital, already housing citizens while aiming to relieve Cairo's crushing density. Indonesia's New Sentara shows how even necessary projects (Jakarta is literally sinking) can stall when political winds shift. The digital-physical experiment of Praxis challenges our very definition of what constitutes a "city," while Kiryas Joel in New York demonstrates how organic growth around shared values can succeed where billion-dollar masterplans fail.

California Forever's struggle against local opposition in Solano County reveals democracy's checks on urban ambition, regardless of financial backing. And failed visions like Telosa and Bitcoin City serve as sobering reminders that even the grandest urban dreams require more than money and vision to materialize.

Which approach has the best chance of creating not just buildings, but thriving communities? The answers might surprise you. Subscribe now to join our exploration of humanity's ongoing quest to build tomorrow's cities.

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Speaker 1:

Okay, so you know how everyone's always trying to get to the point faster, right, like less noise, more signal, you know. Well, that's what we're all about here Really diving deep into, well, in this case, the urge to build new cities. Oh yeah, like this, it's a pretty basic human drive, right? I mean, think about it, wanting to get away from limitations, find some freedom, seize opportunities. You know all that.

Speaker 2:

It's a classic story throughout history, right.

Speaker 1:

Like escape.

Speaker 2:

Build anew.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, and right now it's like this huge surge of energy around the world with these new city projects. It's kind of crazy.

Speaker 2:

You've got governments pouring money in, You've got these tech folks with these like totally new ideas about cities and, of course, just basic market forces too. Right, Like people need places to live.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and that's the thing. It sounds awesome. But building a city from nothing, it's nuts. It's like this massive undertaking.

Speaker 2:

Oh, for sure.

Speaker 1:

You need a ton of money, you need the politicians to actually stay committed, and it takes forever. And that's if everything goes perfectly. And it almost never does us Right Like delays, cost overruns, people fighting the whole thing. It can get really messy.

Speaker 2:

Well, that's why we're doing this deep dive. Right, we're looking at the biggest new city projects in 2025. Like, where are they now? What are they trying to do? How's it actually going? You know like it's human ambition becoming real right in front of us.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so let's jump in, and I think we got to start with the one. Everyone's talking about Neom in Saudi Arabia. It's like a spectacle in the making, right?

Speaker 2:

It is. It's like this Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pouring billions into it on the Red Sea.

Speaker 1:

He wants to basically invent the future of cities right there, and they've got some wild ideas like the line, the city. That's just a straight line 170 kilometers long, and then these crazy luxury islands like Sindalaala.

Speaker 2:

It's like something out of a movie.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and they're aiming for nine million people by 2045, so it's mind-blowing but here's the thing while they are building stuff, like you can see sindala happening it feels like the whole thing is kind of sputtering along, you know, like delays, costs going through the roof, and some of the designs they're talking about just seem, I don don't know, like too futuristic, almost impossible.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's interesting. You're right Like they definitely have the money.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

But it feels very top down like they're focused on this image, this almost like theatrical image of the future, right, and that makes you wonder if they're forgetting about, like how cities actually work, the organic stuff that makes them successful, you know.

Speaker 1:

So what's the bottom line with Neom so far?

Speaker 2:

It's a huge symbol of ambition, right Like we want to jump into the future, build something totally new. But the question is can you really just like, force a city to happen that way, on that scale? Or do you need that slower, more bottom up growth that you see in successful cities you know throughout history? It's a really interesting case study.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so moving on from the future, let's look at Egypt. They're building this new administrative capital and it's a whole different story, right? This isn't about flying cars, it's about like dealing with reality.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, cairo is just bursting at the seams, right yeah, so they're building this new capital about 45 kilometers outside the city to basically relieve the pressure.

Speaker 1:

It's supposed to house like 6 million people eventually, which is still huge, don't get me wrong. But it's more about like being practical, solving problems.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and it's actually further along than Neom. They've got people living there already, basic infrastructure. It's not just a plan anymore.

Speaker 1:

But the money though. $45 billion, that's a lot of weight even for a big country like Egypt.

Speaker 2:

Oh, absolutely. There's a huge financial risk there. Like, can they actually pull this off without wrecking their economy? It's a big question mark.

Speaker 1:

So how does this compare to Niamh?

Speaker 2:

It's like two totally different ways of thinking about city building. Niamh is all about technology and pushing boundaries, but the new administrative capital is about solving a problem. Now it's more grounded, you know, even if the finances are a little scary.

Speaker 1:

All right, let's hop over to Indonesia. Now. They're planning New Sentara, and this one's driven by. Well, basically a crisis, isn't it?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it is Jakarta. Their capital is sinking, literally sinking into the sea, so they're trying to move everything to Borneo.

Speaker 1:

Bold move right and they started building, but then hit a snag.

Speaker 2:

A big snag.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the new government basically froze all new capital spending, which puts New Suntar on hold big time.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, new government, new priorities. Plus, you know money's tight and building in the jungle, that's not easy.

Speaker 1:

So New Suntar is kind of in limbo right now.

Speaker 2:

It really is. It shows you how, even when something seems like a total no brainer right, like your capital is sinking, you still need the political will and the money to make it happen. And right now, New Suntar.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now for something totally different. Let's talk about Praxis, this network state thing. It sounds like it's straight out of science fiction.

Speaker 2:

It's almost more of a philosophy than a city. Right now, they're blending tech utopia with these really abstract ideas about governance. They want to create this independent community called the Eternal City, but it's more about the network, the ideology, than actual buildings at this point.

Speaker 1:

It's got a lot of people excited, though. They've got like 87,000 members and a good chunk of funding waiting in the wings for the right opportunity.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it really taps into this desire to build new systems right Like reinvent how we live together. The founder Dryden Brown he's this fascinating figure. Some people love him, some people are really suspicious, but he's driving this whole thing.

Speaker 1:

They did try to make a deal with the country to actually get some land, but that fell apart.

Speaker 2:

So right now it's still very much in the idea phase. Yeah, and it makes you think what is a city in the 21st century right Like? Does it have to be buildings, or can it be this online community that maybe somebody becomes physical? It's an open question.

Speaker 1:

It's a fascinating question. I mean, will it become bricks and mortar or just stay in network? It's really interesting. Ok, let's shift gears again and look at Curious Joel in New York. This was a success story, but it's not flashy or high tech or anything.

Speaker 2:

No, it's a community built by the Satmar Haseebic folks. It's a great example of like organic growth. They started small, but now they're over 40,000 people and in 2019, it became the first new town incorporated in New York State in like 50 years.

Speaker 1:

Wow, and what's driven that growth? Do you think?

Speaker 2:

Shared values, strong social ties and a lot of local control. They basically get to decide how their town develops. It's very different from these big top-down projects. It shows that a strong identity and the power to shape your own environment can really make a community thrive.

Speaker 1:

Okay, back to the West Coast now California forever in Solano County. This is Silicon Valley trying to build a whole city near San Francisco, and well, it's causing a lot of drama.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, A lot of drama. The vision is big, dense, walkable, sustainable city for something like 400,000 people on a big chunk of land.

Speaker 1:

But the locals are not having it, are they?

Speaker 2:

Not really. They're worried about losing farmland, about the environmental impact. You know classic NMBY stuff. The company even pulled a ballot measure they were trying to push through. Now they're trying to like, negotiate with nearby cities to get annexed, which is interesting.

Speaker 1:

So California Forever? It's got money, it's got a plan, but can they actually get it built?

Speaker 2:

That's the million dollar question. They need to win over the public and the politicians, and right now it's not looking good. It shows that even with tons of money, building a new city in a democracy is really tough.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. You need people on your side, all right, let's head to Arizona now, specifically the West Valley. Outside Phoenix, they've got these huge master plan communities popping up like Terra, valles and Belmont.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, they're massive in terms of size, but it's pretty standard suburban development, not a lot of innovation there.

Speaker 1:

So it's more about scale than new ideas.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, land is cheap, the weather's great, so they're building big, but it's not really changing the game in terms of urban design.

Speaker 1:

Now this next one is driven by ideology Highland Rim in Kentucky and Tennessee. This is a group called New. Founding they want to build a bunch of charter communities, basically for people who think alike.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's very explicitly about creating spaces for people with specific cultural and political views. They're saying it's an alternative for folks who want to leave the big cities, and they're already selling land.

Speaker 1:

And that raises some questions right, Like who gets to be part of these communities and is that even legal? It's kind of pushing the boundaries.

Speaker 2:

Well, definitely. It's interesting because it's tapping into this American tradition of intentional communities Right, but taking it in a very specific direction. It's not a city yet, but it's a movement to watch.

Speaker 1:

Okay, last but not least, we got to talk about the projects that didn't quite make it. You know, the ones that are stalled out or maybe just forgotten, like Telosa, Prospera, Bitcoin City.

Speaker 2:

It's a good reminder that even the coolest idea, with all the money in the world, doesn't guarantee success. Telosa, that was Mark Lohr's big utopian dream. It hasn't really done anything in years. Prospera in Honduras they're stuck in this legal battle that could shut the whole thing down. Cospra in Honduras they're stuck in this legal battle that could shut the whole thing down. And Bitcoin City in El Salvador that was supposed to be this crypto paradise basically dead in the water.

Speaker 1:

So what's the lesson here?

Speaker 2:

Visions are great, but you need more than that. You need the politicians to back you, you need the public to trust you and you need a plan that actually works.

Speaker 1:

You can't just dream it into existence. So, as we wrap this up, it's clear that the urge to build new cities it's still going strong in 2025. And it's coming from everywhere Governments, billionaires, regular people all trying to shape the future.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and some of these projects they're going to fail for sure or change into something completely different. But the reasons we want new cities, the cost, the crowding, the politics, it's not going away. So this drive to start fresh is going to keep pushing people to try.

Speaker 1:

And that brings us to our final thought for today. Looking at all these different approaches, from the mega projects to the small communities, which one do you think has the best chance of actually making life better? And what does it really take for a city to not just exist but to truly thrive? It's something to think about as these new urban dreams take shape all over the planet.

Speaker 2:

It definitely is.

Speaker 1:

And that's it for this deep dive. We'll catch you next time, see ya.

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David (Viacheslav) Davidenko

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