[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":45},["ShallowReactive",2],{"content-body-vera-kichanova-lessons-from-odessa":3,"transcript-vera-kichanova-lessons-from-odessa":42},{"body":4,"extras":40},[5,16,24,32],{"_key":6,"_type":7,"children":8,"markDefs":14,"style":15},"8d789530e5f1","block",[9],{"_key":10,"_type":11,"marks":12,"text":13},"09f303c2a44f","span",[],"On this week’s podcast, I sat down with the Free Cities Foundation’s senior economist Vera Kichanova.",[],"normal",{"_key":17,"_type":7,"children":18,"markDefs":23,"style":15},"4e9aeaab57e4",[19],{"_key":20,"_type":11,"marks":21,"text":22},"15c9e31174c5",[],"During our discussion we explore Odessa’s historical role as a model for Free Cities and Special Economic Zones, highlighting its rise in the late 18th century as a thriving economic hub due to unique governance and cultural freedoms.",[],{"_key":25,"_type":7,"children":26,"markDefs":31,"style":15},"d8a215b48bea",[27],{"_key":28,"_type":11,"marks":29,"text":30},"4242a3c64261",[],"Vera discusses why such models are not more widely adopted today, considering competition from cities like Dubai and Singapore and the need for strong economic incentives and community engagement.",[],{"_key":33,"_type":7,"children":34,"markDefs":39,"style":15},"8d0ca94ef666",[35],{"_key":36,"_type":11,"marks":37,"text":38},"cfa6da6fa0cd",[],"The conversation also examines how Free Cities can address modern urban challenges, particularly in unstable regions, with Vera expressing optimism about the growing interest in alternative governance models.",[],{"pullQuote":41},"That’s the biggest catch-22 of Free Cities. You’re creating a refuge from the rules of a government, but ultimately, you’re at the whim of the same government that has made the situation so bad in the first place.",{"slug":43,"turns":44},"vera-kichanova-lessons-from-odessa",[],1788817240021]