In 2020, Akon acquired land in Senegal to build Akon City, modeled after Wakanda, featuring solar power, advanced healthcare, and a personal cryptocurrency economy. However, essential governance plans were absent, leading to stalled construction and eventual cancellation of the project by the Senegalese government. Many similar ambitious city proposals by celebrities and oligarchs lack governance discussions, often due to authoritarian tendencies or avoidance of divisive issues. This oversight reflects a widespread lack of creativity in local governance, with recent examples such as California Forever demonstrating the problem's persistence.
Akon's failure to plan for governance stalled funding and construction, and created questions he could never answer.
With the world seeming stuck, more celebrities, oligarchs, and governments are seeking to create futuristic, paradigm-shifting new cities.
Some urban creators are authoritarians, who believe they can dictate to their future cities' residents.
In failing to include governance in their future visions, the world's rulers demonstrate a planetwide lack of imagination in local democracy and government.
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