From floating cities resilient to the ravages of global warming to AI-powered cities with unprecedented efficiency, these visionary projects redefine the limits of urban planning. While some are touted as paradises of self-sufficiency and sustainability, others are experimentation spaces for new, revolutionary forms of government. But will these utopias be for the many, or will they be ultra-luxe bastions for the ultra-rich? While these billionaire visionaries create the cities of the future, the rest of the world waits to see whether it will be a future for everybody or just an extension of the status quo.

While others argue that these future cities will power technological progress and offer solutions to overpopulation, others are concerned with the capability of such cities to increase the present disparities in classes. The appeal of innovation cannot be discounted, yet will these billionaire-built cities be addressing real-world problems, or are they just ego projects with the purpose of exerting control? In an age when money can literally build new worlds, the debate about who will design the future—and who will be left behind—has never been more relevant.

1. Elon Musk’s Mars Colony and Starbase: Expanding the Reach of Man

Visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, is not only working to revolutionize how we travel—he’s transforming the place we live. His plan for the “Starbase” in Texas is already in the works, a stepping stone to his ultimate plan: a self-sustaining city on Mars. Unlike other billionaire projects focused on luxury and selectivity, however, Musk’s plan is focused more on survival and progress. Critics argue his Texas towns have been called out for their impact on the environment and displacement of indigenous populations. Mars colonization, if it happens at all, will raise basic ethical and societal questions about the rule of law and humanity’s expansion beyond the planet.

2. Marc Lore’s Telosa: A New Model for Equitable Living

Former Walmart executive Marc Lore approaches it differently: an equal city called Telosa. The city, to be constructed in an undisclosed part of the U.S., will blend capitalism with social equality, a city in which wealth is more equally shared. While Musk’s survivalism is survival of the apocalypse, Lore’s is surviving in a sustainable way, with green technology and “equitism”—a term designed to balance economic growth with fairness. Whether this heaven can be scaled is in doubt, but it flips traditional urban planning paradigms which long prioritized profit over people.

3. Peter Thiel’s Seasteading: The Libertarian Floating Experiment

PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has long been fascinated by the possibility of evading government control. His seasteading endeavor imagined self-sufficient floating cities in the ocean, beyond the jurisdiction of national law. The idea, while intriguing, was met with substantial legal and pragmatic hurdles, ultimately leading to its inactivity. Seasteading possesses the ultimate advantage of autonomy over land-based utopias but is thwarted by pragmatic feasibility. This endeavor raises the query: Can there be real freedom, or will any society always be governed and regulated?

4. The Line by Mohammed bin Salman: The Ideal Intelligent City

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s $1 trillion Neom project is the most ambitions of the lot. The Line, a linear city stretching for 120km, will house millions in a high-tech, AI-driven life with no cars and minimal ecological impact. Unlike Musk’s colonial blueprint or Lore’s social experiment, Neom is a state-imposed top-down project with future technology. While the project claims to be green, concerns over feasibility, surveillance, and human rights have been the basis for debate over whether it’s really a blueprint for the future or just a hypermodern exercise in control.

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5. Bill Gates’ Belmont: The Intelligent City Revolution

Bill Gates, in his typical data-driven manner, invested millions of dollars in creating Belmont, a smart city in the state of Arizona. With its aim to have the latest in infrastructure, self-driving cars, and AI-based urban planning, Belmont aims to redefine the urban experience. Compared to other billionaire projects, Gates’ plan is arguably the most realistic, playing with the grain of today’s urbanization rather than opposing it. Critics still wonder if such cities will become technology-based surveillance states rather than actually being livable.

6. Larry Ellison’s Lanai: A Billionaire’s Island Getaway

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison took a different tack, buying up 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai to build an ultra-luxury enclave for the super-rich. While other utopias seek to remake the world, Ellison’s is a remaking of a natural paradise for the ultra-high-end tourist economy and the pursuit of well-being. This creates an interesting dichotomy: While billionaires might dream of changing the world, others dream of creating their own kingdoms. A billionaire’s playground, or a utopia for the people?

7. New Albany of Les Wexner: A Private Town in Ohio

Not only did billionaire retail magnate Les Wexner build a mansion, he built a town. New Albany, Ohio, is a meticulously planned community that reflects his vision of suburban heaven. While the tech-based dreams of Musk and Gates are more futuristic, Wexner’s vision is more traditional, focused on beauty, order, and selectivity. While undoubtedly affluent, it is flawed in its economic disparities and whether such private towns can be open to the general public.

8. Mark Cuban’s Mustang, Texas: A Town with a Personal Touch

Unlike other billionaires, who purchase land for future cities or private empires, Cuban purchased the little town of Mustang, Texas, for a friend with cancer. Cuban doesn’t plan any grand things for the town, which speaks to the other side of billionaire ownership—personal connection rather than ambition. A reminder that billionaire land purchases are sometimes about power—other times it is merely about keeping things alive.

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Conclusion 

The billionaire-built utopias featured in this article vary in scale and intention. While others, including Musk’s Mars colony and Lore’s Telosa, aim to redefine civilization itself, others, including Ellison’s Lanai and Cuban’s Mustang, are more intimate in scale. Whether or not these projects succeed or fail, though, is indicative of a trend: the super-rich no longer merely desire to influence society—they desire to create it. The only question is, will these utopias be for the benefit of humanity at large, or will they be elite enclaves?

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