Gates buys huge chunk of desert to build his smart city

UNITED STATES: One of the richest people in the world wants to build his own city.

Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates put down $US80 million

(NZ$116 mllion) for a massive swath of land in Arizona, about 45 minutes west of downtown Phoenix. His goal? Developing

10,000 hectares of land into a ‘‘smart city’’ that will be called ‘‘Belmont’’. The name stems from Belmont Partners, an Arizonabased real estate investment group. The vision? Transforming a raw, blank slate into a futuristic city filled with driverless cars, endless data centres and buildings designed around technology and high-speed internet.

According to Belmont Partners, the city will have space for about 80,000 residential units. In addition, about 1500ha will go toward commercial, retail and office space and 190ha will be used for schools.

‘‘The experimentation that takes place in this new community has the potential to demonstrate the viability of new smart city concepts and serve as an example for cities nationwide and globally,’’ Brooks Rainwater, director of the City Solutions and Applied Research Centre at the National League of Cities, said.

The city would have a population of about 182,000, fairly comparable to that of nearby Tempe, Arizona.

‘‘Belmont will create a forwardthinking community with a com- munication and infrastructure spine that embraces cutting-edge technology, designed around highspeed digital networks, data centres, new manufacturing technologies and distribution models, autonomous vehicles and autonomous logistics hubs,’’ Belmont Partners said.

So far, it’s unclear when construction will start. –