I feel like they would be better off just implementing sustainable infrastructure/designs into the existing urban area. It doesn’t seem like there is a need for a brand new city built from scratch.

They talk in this article about how the city is actually starting to come to life, with more people, tenants and essential services now locating to the area. If they can keep up this momentum, maybe this city will actually have a shot at staying afloat and being successful.

I find it fascinating that a lot of these project cities involve pre existing multimillion dollar companies like Toyota who are trying to expand into city building. Will these cities actually be more profitable for these companies than the products they already sell? or are they just side projects?

The article details all the work that is going into construction of city, and it seems pretty extensive. It’s also extremely costly, and there seems to be a lot of problems occurring. It feels like this city is more trouble than it’s worth, and I wonder how much progress will be made in the future.

It seems like more and more new city projects keep popping up in China, each with similar components (real estate, technology, schools, etc). I wonder how the officials of this city are planning on producing a unique identity, and preventing it from also becoming a ghost town.

The way it’s described it also quite off putting: “If you were to walk through the city, you’d see people who are focused, who are in good shape, who are walking briskly…” which sounds like he would basically be able to pick and choose who lives there based on his own personal preferences. Strange.

Honestly, this project seems like one man’s inexperienced attempt to gain fame and attention. It sounds like he wants to make it his own personal tech-bro haven, and completely rids itself of any human nature, with everything being replaced by AI.

previous capital city projects, like Putrajaya and Brasilia, to make sure that Nusantara doesn't fail in the same way they did. One of the ways they are doing this is to make sure the city is actually livable, and can grow over time to continue attracting people and capital.

South Korea is probably the right country for this sort of project. It says they will try to attract universities and businesses to get residents. In order to make up the cost of the city, they will need to make sure that it doesn't end up a ghost town like many other new city projects.

I’ve noticed with a few of these projects that dry, desert-filled countries will try to create a ‘seaside haven’ in their new cities. This is a smart way to try and attract wealthy potential home owners and tourists, but requires a LOT of work/money to actually build and maintain.

The city is now starting to attract US/foreign companies, as their commercial spaces are top tier. I think that this could be a good city project for the economy, but seems like they are not making a huge effort to appeal to locals; it won’t be a true living space.

This project seems like a recipe for tax fraud and other economic scams as there is a lack of proper government regulation. It will be interesting to see how a community of wealthy capitalists interact.

The article says it could be a blueprint for other countries struggling with the same issues, but for ones without the same booming tourist industry as the Maldives,will they be able to afford to build something like this?

As the article says, Kuwait is one of the world’s richest countries, but as Jasmine explained in her lecture, most of its citizens are expats who cannot buy land/property. Who will buy this city’s real estate? Or will they make an exception that allows for foreign investment?