What the F#$* is an experimental city❓

There is a dearth of resources discussing what the experimental city constitutes. Though some believe the term experimental denotes the goal of a lush utopia laden with natural resources like parks and waterfalls, others use the term to describe new means of economic regulation. This wiki takes into account the different types of experimental cities and societies that have been planned and materialized, categorizing them by the means and/or intent of their experimentation.

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3️⃣ types of experimental cities:

1. Utopian 🌈
   • Inspired by Sir Thomas More's 1516 fiction, Utopia, which describes a fictional island society with impossibly perfect qualities
   • Homogeneous way of life among citizens
   • Unanimous desire regarding the form of societal infrastructure
   • Emphasis on happiness over competition and on personal fulfillment
2. Technological ⚙️
   • Incorporation of software and/or hardware to augment way of life in a contained geographic area
   • Benefits of technology in the community include expediting the completion of mundane tasks (like paying a parking ticket), increased accessibility of essential resources (electricity for electric vehicles), and lower degrees of pollution
   • Concerns include the sale of personal data to third parties, nonconsensual surveillance of behaviour and speech, obsolescence of service industries, and undemocratic assumptions of political power held by tech corporations
   • Emphasis on using technology for a more convenient and more environmentally friendly lifestyle for communities
3. Economic (Charter Cities) 📈
   • Governing system is defined by the municipality's own charter document rather than by general law (e.g. state or federal law)
   • Refers to the definition of a charter city according to economist Mark Lutter's Charter Cities Institute
   • Typically supports deregulation to allow expedited economic growth
   • Emphasis on increasing competition in economic environments (economic empowerment as a means to alleviate social ailments)

Theory: the what's and the why's 💭

• Introduction

4️⃣ conditions for an ideal society

• Social harmony ☮️
• Self-sufficiency ✊
• Just governance 🎤
• Opportunity for self actualisation 🕊️

Experimental City Wiki