California Forever: a Utopia for the rich?

Vallejo, in Solano County, is an unassuming and scantly populated rural area of Northern California. However, some people have set their eyes on it: A group of Silicon Valley investors want to build a new city from scratch called California Forever.

The New York Times reported that tech guru Jan Sramek is leading this initiative, that has already managed to invest 800 million dollars in land purchases.

As reported by Euronews, the list of billionaires who invest to buy land includes Laurence Powell Jobs (Steve Jobs' widow), Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn) and Marc Andreessen (venture capital investment expert).

It is estimated that this group made from Silicon Valley elite has acquired some 20,000 hectares (around 50,000 acres) of land in Solano. In other words, twice the size of the city of San Francisco.

The flat landscape of Vallejo County, which has around 500,000 inhabitants, would be perfect for building a city from scratch. However, experts have already been pointing out a few setbacks.

In times of climate crisis, water is a limited resource in California. And even more so in Vallejo County.

However, the main obstacle for this project is that there is a complex legal mechanism to create a new city: the local government has to approve the permits allowing the development of the agricultural land.

“We are excited to begin working with Solano County residents and elected officials”, stated a spokesperson for Jan Sramek, the leading investor of the project, that was quoted by The New York Times.

According to some analysts, one of the motives behind the dream of creating a new city in the middle of nowhere is the decline of San Francisco (in the image). Urban decay, homelessness, and a generalized substance abuse problem makes the idea of leaving the old behind and starting anew more attractive.

There's also the possibility of developing 21st century urban planning at the service of new tech. A city in which everything is ready for self-driving cars, digital information transit, ultra-speed and much more!

As reported by Forbes, the promoters of this new city aspire to make it hyper-technological and also to be self-sufficient, both in terms of power (with renewable energy) and food, thanks to the agricultural and livestock production in the area.

Naturally, there is a commitment to the environment, with large green areas, though this raises questions about water consumption. In short: this “California Forever” (as some already call this planned city) would be a dream for its inhabitants. But who could afford to live there?

Among the controversies raised by this project is whether this new city would impose a kind of segregation on the disadvantaged classes. Will it be a city only for the rich?

Image: Kyle Glen/Unsplash

Environmental groups have already begun to mobilize against the project.

The possible environmental objections were summed up in The New York Times by Democratic consultant David Townsend: “What happens in these things is, people show up in red T-shirts yelling that a bunch of rich guys who don’t even live here want to put 20,000 more cars on our roads, and what do we get for it? A couple of parks?”

It is also believed that the US Air Force may oppose the project. The Travis Air Force Base (in the image) is located in that area of Solano County, and the military may prefer keeping its facilities in that area isolated for security reasons.

California Forever seems to be one of those megaprojects where idealism and megalomania meet. A perfect city without dirt or pollution, but not one that everyone can afford.