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Johannes Kaiser Interview: Free Cities in Libertarian Chile

Blog21 min read

Johannes Kaiser Interview: Free Cities in Libertarian Chile

Can you fight the state by becoming the state? It is the one question every political libertarian has to answer, and Johannes Kaiser has heard it more often than most. Last November, the leader of Chile’s National Libertarian Party won 14 percent of the vote in the country’s presidential election, one of the strongest results a libertarian party has ever achieved anywhere in a national first round. A few months later, we found ourselves sitting across from him at a lakeside campground in eastern Germany, asking him exactly that question.

Jan BertramJan Bertram · Free Cities Foundation
Cover of Road to Liberty, the Free Cities Foundation short story collection

Blog11 min read

La Façon de Vivre

Geoffrey has loved something about every great city he has lived in, but never everything. Then a typed note in a dusty bookshop, franked with five blue stamps, invites him to a place called Possibilia.

Sebastian A. S. GrellSebastian A. S. Grell
People Go Where They Are Treated Best

Blog4 min read

People Go Where They Are Treated Best

There is a line in Jamie Dimon’s 2025 letter to JPMorgan shareholders that reads like a warning shot aimed at high-tax state capitals. “Individuals vote with their feet,” he wrote. “You can already see a fairly large exodus of people and jobs out of some states with high taxes and high expenses.” Then he laid out the receipts. JPMorgan has cut its New York headcount from 30,000 a decade ago to 24,000. Its Texas headcount has grown from 26,000 in 2015 to 32,000 over the same period. He framed the migration plainly: “People often make this a moral or loyalty issue, but it is not. Companies need to remain competitive in this very tough, fast-moving world.”

Alex VossAlex Voss · Free Cities Foundation
Public artwork framing a coastal city view

Blog4 min read

Beauty as Infrastructure: Why Free Cities Should Invest in It Early

If you are building a Free City, a special economic zone, or any new jurisdiction from scratch, here is a piece of advice that sounds frivolous and is not: invest in beauty before you think you can afford to.

Alex VossAlex Voss · Free Cities Foundation
The Autonomous Upside: Autonomous Cities Investment Thesis

Blog26 min read

The Autonomous Upside: Autonomous Cities Investment Thesis

In 1965, Singapore was a swampy island with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of roughly $500, mass unemployment at 14 percent, and half its population illiterate.

Alex VossAlex Voss · Free Cities Foundation
Quadratic Voting, Quadratic Finance & Free Cities

Blog11 min read

Quadratic Voting, Quadratic Finance & Free Cities

Intentional communities, planned developments, and new city projects share a common challenge: how do you fairly decide which shared infrastructure to build, and how do you pay for it? Whether the community is an off-grid village, a…

Alex VossAlex Voss · Free Cities Foundation
Can Startup Cities Defend Themselves? Ask Dubai

Blog10 min read

Can Startup Cities Defend Themselves? Ask Dubai

It’s been a month since the Gulf war erupted. Triggered by the assassination of Iran’s leader in a U.S.-Israeli strike, the conflict has since spilled across the region.

Vera KichanovaVera Kichanova · Free Cities Foundation
Venzuela, Speaker Announcements & Seasteading Opportunities

Blog5 min read

Venzuela, Speaker Announcements & Seasteading Opportunities

This month, we cover the dramatic political developments in Venezuela and their implications for Free Cities, announce new speakers for our conference in Próspera, and bring you up to speed on two major seasteading initiatives: LiberArx and ArkPad.

Natalie DanelishenNatalie Danelishen
Honduras Election, Grokipedia, Sark & What’s Ahead

Blog6 min read

Honduras Election, Grokipedia, Sark & What’s Ahead

As we approach the end of 2025, we bring you an update on the long-anticipated Honduran general election results, Grokipedia’s newly published deep dive into Free Cities, developments on Sark, and more…

Natalie DanelishenNatalie Danelishen
We’ve Been Waiting Years to Share This…

Blog3 min read

We’ve Been Waiting Years to Share This…

As many of you know, the Free Cities Conference is the one time each year when our project representatives from around the world come together to share their progress.

Natalie DanelishenNatalie Danelishen
Why Private Cities Are Good for the Planet

Blog7 min read

Why Private Cities Are Good for the Planet

Cozy neighbourhoods shaded by eucalyptus trees and protected wildlands stretching from the Santa Ana Mountains to the Pacific Ocean—welcome to Irvine, a master-planned city in Orange County, California. With its Mediterranean climate, thriving economy, and more than one-third of its land reserved for green open space, Irvine consistently ranks among the happiest (top 3), healthiest (top 10), safest (top 3), and greenest (top 10) cities in the United States.

Vera KichanovaVera Kichanova · Free Cities Foundation
Honduran ZEDEs: Their Past and Future

Blog35 min read

Honduran ZEDEs: Their Past and Future

The ZEDE law in Honduras was repealed in April 2022 and with it, one chapter of the history of innovative governance has come to an end.

Hynek FenclHynek Fencl · Free Cities Foundation
The Proprietary State – Available Now on Amazon

Blog4 min read

The Proprietary State – Available Now on Amazon

What if a government takes the form of a for-profit corporation? Forget the usual debates about left versus right. The Proprietary State throws a curveball into the entire political landscape. It dares to ask: what if we privatised the very act of ruling? Imagine a government with shareholders instead of voters, pursuing profit. The book dives deep into this radical idea, dissecting the potential boons and pitfalls of a ‘proprietary government’ – a government driven by profit motives, accountable to investors instead of voters.

Free Cities Foundation TeamFree Cities Foundation Team
Bringing Free Cities to Established (But Stagnating) Democracies, Starting from Britain

Blog4 min read

Bringing Free Cities to Established (But Stagnating) Democracies, Starting from Britain

Around the world, a quiet revolution is reshaping how we build and govern cities. From private blockchain in Próspera to the car-free streets of Lavasa, new urban experiments are challenging the old ways — and a growing number of pioneers are voting with their feet. Maybe you’re even browsing the Free Communities Directory right now, wondering where your next home might be.

Vera KichanovaVera Kichanova · Free Cities Foundation
Can Trump’s Freedom Cities Be Truly Free?

Blog6 min read

Can Trump’s Freedom Cities Be Truly Free?

In March 2023, former President Donald Trump floated the idea of Freedom Cities as part of a brief campaign speech outlining a vision for American revitalization. Among his many proposals—ranging from flying cars to baby bonuses—was the idea of setting aside a tiny percentage of federal land to create up to ten new cities through a competitive selection process. These “Freedom Cities,” he suggested, would restore America’s reputation for ambitious, large-scale development and create new opportunities for homeownership and economic growth.

Joyce BrandJoyce Brand · Free Cities Foundation
CryptoCity: Shaping the Future of Community Living

Blog5 min read

CryptoCity: Shaping the Future of Community Living

Disclaimer: The following article was written by an external author. The opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Foundation or its members.

Tim SternTim Stern · CryptoCity