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Articles by Mark Lutter
America created the world order—what happens when it leaves?
This is a guest essay by Mark Lutter for Post Nation, seven writers exploring a world after nation-states. Support the project and collect the series as a digital or print pamphlet 👇🏻 For my lifetime, the map of the world has appeared oddly permanent. Borders have been stable, new countries relatively rare. History was over, to borrow Fukuyama’s phrase. The nation-state is a natural and durable political unit with intrinsic sovereignty.
A Freedom City Can Benefit Venezuela and America With Prosperity and Peace
The Trump Administration’s toppling of the Maduro regime has opened the door for Venezuela to become a stable democracy. The road ahead for Venezuela – and for US engagement in the country – however, remains highly uncertain. A productive and forward-looking relationship between the two governments focused on economic prosperity and a democratic transition for the Venezuelan people must be the core objective.
Tag Archive: Housing policy
Op-Ed The Surprising Role of Large Developers in Solving the Housing Crunch Article Houston Gets the Last Laugh Article Homesteading 2.0 and Freedom Cities Open Letter Op-Ed Connecting the Dots on Congress’ VA Partial Claims Bill Op-Ed How CFPB Policies Fueled New Subprime Boom, High Home Prices Op-Ed The Hill Congress Must Stop Biden’s VA Mortgage Bailout — Before It’s Too Late Article Homesteading 2.0: Making Housing Affordable Again, Especially With the Construction of Starter Homes Op-Ed...
Freedom cities and the revival of the American dream
For generations, the American dream has symbolized the promise of upward mobility and community-driven progress—a vision in which hard work, ingenuity, and opportunity align to uplift both individuals and society at large. Yet in recent decades, rising housing costs, offshored industries, and bureaucratic stagnation have left many Americans sensing that this dream is slipping further away. Trust in government has eroded, and communities have become more fractured.
Freedom Cities
The Charter Cities Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to empowering new cities with better governance to lift tens of millions of people out of poverty.
Trump’s Freedom Cities Could Transform U.S. Innovation
Many observers are struggling to keep up with the new Trump administration’s dizzying pace of executive orders and policy initiatives, so it’s no surprise that some big ideas have fallen by the wayside so far. But one of Trump’s best proposals from the campaign trail deserves more attention: building ten new “Freedom Cities.” As Trump described it, the cities, erected on federal land, would spark unprecedented innovation in fields like aerospace, construction, and manufacturing.
Build the Presidio Freedom City
In March 2023, now-President-elect Donald Trump called for the creation of up to ten “Freedom Cities,” new cities built on federal land to serve as hubs for the development of emerging technologies, revitalization of American manufacturing, and lowering the cost of housing for American families.
Building Freedom Cities
In March 2023, President-elect Donald Trump proposed building ten new Freedom Cities to unleash American innovation. Trump envisioned these cities as hubs to revive American manufacturing, recreate a frontier spirit, and encourage a new baby boom. Freedom Cities have the potential to play an important role in twenty-first-century America. Building them, though, requires careful consideration of the essential elements of successful cities.
Celebrating 7 Years of CCI
Hi everyone, It’s CCI’s 7-year anniversary and I am returning to the role of Executive Director. Kurtis Lockhart exceptionally ran CCI for 2.5 years and is now launching the Africa Urban Lab, a joint project with the African School of Economics and CCI. We wish him well, and we’re excited to help launch this transformative venture. I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing the charter cities space.
MBS is building a 110-mile-long city in the Arabian desert. Is it all a mirage?
When Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince of Saudi Arabia in 2017, he consolidated his power first by imprisoning many of his relatives and other influential Saudis in the Ritz-Carlton. Next, and more unexpectedly, he took steps to liberalize social norms, pushing against Wahabi influence and loosening restrictions on women — allowing them to drive, to name one decree. These opening gambits of his reign give contrasting but hardly novel impressions of the kind of leadership he wants to forge.
MBS is building a 110-mile-long city in the Arabian desert. Is it all a
We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE. When Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince of Saudi Arabia in 2017, he consolidated his power first by imprisoning many of his relatives and other influential Saudis in the Ritz-Carlton. Next, and more unexpectedly, he took steps to liberalize social norms, pushing against Wahabi influence and loosening restrictions on women — allowing them to drive, to name one decree.
How to build a state
28th August 2020 8 Mins Throughout history, states struggled to maintain power, having to rely on private agents and enforcers to fund themselves and govern their citizens. It’s easy to imagine that governments were always as bureaucratic as they are today. Certain policies, like the widespread granting of monopolies in the seventeenth century, or the presence of a powerful landed aristocracy, seem like archaic products of a past that was simply more corrupt.
Practical veganism
28th August 2020 12 Mins Polls show that the majority of Americans want to reduce their consumption of meat, but many struggle to do so. People really hate vegans and vegetarians. In one study, participants reported disliking vegans and vegetarians more than immigrants and atheists; only drug addicts were more disliked than vegans.
The evolution of psychiatry
28th August 2020 16 Mins Modern psychiatry appears to be at a standstill, wanting for better treatment and a substantive theoretical framework. Evolutionary theory has the potential to reinvigorate the field. Why do psychiatric conditions exist? This question is both unsatisfyingly unanswered and incredibly important.
The rise and fall of the industrial R&D lab
28th August 2020 19 Mins For a time in recent history, R&D labs seemed to exist in a golden age of innovation and productivity. But this period vanished as swiftly as it came to be. Contents Once, small firms centred on inventors were responsible for most of our innovation. Larger firms might buy or exploit these steps forwards, but they did not typically make them.
Venice with Thibault Serlet and Corey Tazzara on Apple Podcasts
Today’s episode is a bonus episode, where we take a deep dive into the Italian Renaissance (with a focus on Venice) with world-renowned expert, Professor Corey Tazzara.
Philanthropy for Policy Change with John D. Arnold on Apple Podcasts
Welcome to Seeding the Future, a podcast from the Charter Cities Institute, where we explore how giving and philanthropy are changing as wealth is created in new industries, at younger ages, and by more diverse demographics. In this inaugural epode, we hear from John Arnold, American philanthropist, former Enron executive, and Founder of Arnold Ventures, about philanthropy for policy change.
The Green Zone Future
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 39: Building Strong Towns with Charles Marohn
Chuck sheds light on how the way in which we build our cities has drastically changed since before the Great Depression and how the current North American development pattern creates towns and cities that lack the wealth to be able to maintain their critical infrastructure and take care of their own futures. Key Points From This Episode: • Charles “Chuck” Marohn explains how Strong Towns is both an organization and a movement.
Improving Governance Towards Economic Growth in the DRC
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has some of the greatest mineral wealth in the world and a large and growing population. With numerous challenges ranging from the need to absorb an urbanizing population, improve its economy, and promote security, the DRC is in a position where it has far more to gain from policy experiments than it has to lose.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 38: Mass Migration with Parag Khanna
Parag explains how mass migration has been occurring for decades, and although there are some exceptions, in the majority of cases, societies have absorbed the newcomers and the newcomers have assimilated remarkably well. Key Points From This Episode: • Parag shares his thoughts on why the US should (hypothetically) buy Greenland. • The premise of Parag’s new book, Move. • Two megatrends that are currently shaping the world. • Four potential futures that Parag thinks we are heading for.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 37: e-Residency in Estonia with Lauri Haav
Lauri Haav is currently running a program which is the first of its kind, and if you’re wondering why obtaining an Estonian e-ID card is an appealing option, you’ll get all the answers from him in today’s episode. Key Points From This Episode: • Estonia’s advanced level of digitization, and what their e-Residency program is. • Lauri shares what his professional background in the tech space consisted of.
Governance Handbook
Charter cities are new cities with new rules. The Governance Handbook is the most comprehensive undertaking to date that lays out what these new rules should be and how they should be structured to promote inclusive economic growth. Humans have been building new cities for millennia, and we continue to do so today. There are urban planning firms to plan cities, funds dedicated to investing in cities, and architecture and engineering firms to design and construct the built environment of cities.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 36: The Royal Society of the Arts with Anton Howes
Today's guest, Anton Howes, is a historian of innovation, and his first book is "Arts and Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a Nation", where he unpacks this organization and the significant roles it plays in influencing the social landscape of the UK. Key Points From This Episode: • What The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce is. • Understanding a national improvement agency and the role it plays.
Mark Lutter
Governance outcomes are better predicted by whether a country industrialized within living memory than form of government, e.g. democratic or authoritarian. There has been much discussion recently of whether authoritarianism offers more effective governance than liberal democracy.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 35: The Impact of Technology and Remote Access on Cities and Suburbs with Dror Poleg
Because of the way technology has enabled remote work and access, if you want to attract people to a building, city, or neighborhood, it's less about the location or the physical characteristics of your asset, and more about how you are meeting the lifestyle needs of that specific group of people that you're targeting. Key Points From This Episode: • Dror’s thesis that technology is undermining the basic foundations of real estate’s value.
What Afghanistan Means for Charter Cities - Dr. Mark Lutter
The Taliban have retaken Afghanistan. What does this mean for the future of charter cities? The Taliban have retaken Afghanistan. I am writing this within 12 hours of the fall of Kabul. The Afghan army, which numbered 350,000 (on paper) lost to the Taliban, which numbered 60,000. The Afghan army collapsed, with Americans struggling to evacuate their embassy in time. The image of helicopters ferrying Americans from Kabul to the airport is a stunning blow to American prestige.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 34: Shaping a Preferable Economic Future with Eli Dourado
How do we shape a preferable future? Today’s guest believes that technological advancements could result in what he calls the ‘Roaring 20s’, with a productivity and economic boom that extends well beyond the expected post-pandemic rebound. Key Points From This Episode: • Eli starts by explaining what total factor productivity (TFP) is and why it matters. • Why he is focused on TFP as a means for future economic growth.
Charter City Optimism: Additional Thoughts on the Rethink Priorities Report - Dr. Mark Lutter
Charter cities are not some theoretical, pie in the sky idea; there is real, tangible traction happening that can be accelerated with additional funding. The effective altruism (EA) movement dedicates minimal resources to studying the lessons, let alone attempting to replicate, the greatest poverty alleviation in living memory. Since 1980, Chinese economic growth has lifted over 800 million people out of poverty.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 32: Understanding the Hidden Forces that Shape Society with Samo Burja
There has never been an immortal society. No matter how technologically advanced our own society is, it is unlikely to be an exception. Key Points From This Episode: • Samo describes his Great Founder Theory and how it is distinct from “great man history.” • He weighs in on the natural endowments or geographical determinism arguments. • How incremental cultural developments and traditions fit into Great Founder Theory. • How Great Founder Theory differs from theories like Marxism.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 31: The Making of Nigeria with Feyi Fawehinmi
Today’s guest is Feyi Fawehinmi, author of Formation: The Making of Nigeria from Jihad to Amalgamation Key Points From This Episode: • A biased telling of history in Nigeria after the civil war and how Feyi’s book corrects this. • The situation in Nigeria where Feyi’s book starts from; the waging of a state-building jihad in 1804. • Local slavery practices in Nigeria during the caliphate versus how Europeans treated slaves.
The American Mind Podcast: The Roundtable Episode #71
The American Mind’s ‘Editorial Roundtable’ podcast is a weekly conversation with Ryan Williams, Matt Peterson, James Poulos, Seth Barron, and Spencer Klavan devoted to uncovering the ideas and principles that drive American political life. Stream here or download from your favorite podcast host.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 29: Sustainable Development Zones and a Better Life for Migrants with Joachim Rücker
We discuss Joachim’s work with the Sustainable Development Zone Alliance and how they are utilizing Sustainable Development Zones (SDZs) and Brownfield sites to improve the lives of migrants and increase the transitions from the informal sector to the formal sector. Key Points From This Episode: ● An outline of SDZs and how they resemble charter cities. ● How the Sustainable Development Zones Alliance is working to support cities during a huge increase in urbanization.
Thoughts on Agglomeration - Dr. Mark Lutter
Charter cities need to retain their focus on being transformative, which includes combining governance reform with agglomeration. A primary purpose of charter cities is to generate sustained economic growth. Cities are the smallest unit where that is possible, hence the focus on the city as the proper unit of reform. Paul Romer wanted a 1000 sq km to build a charter city. Prospera and Ciudad Morazán, two of the ZEDEs (zonas de empleo y desarollo economico), announced in Honduras are .2 sq km.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 28: Cost Differences in Railway Infrastructure Projects Globally with Alon Levy
A conversation is about the influence of politics and culture on the cost of building rail-based infrastructure projects across the globe. Key Points From This Episode: • How Alon got interested in infrastructure while riding NYC trains. • Definitions of different rail-based transport types to be found in cities. • Cost differences of constructing different rail-based transport across the globe. • Cultural elitism and why there is a cost premium on American rapid transit.
Fighting Poverty in Developing Countries? Building New Cities from Scratch May Be the Best Strategy
Humanity is undergoing a massive urbanization, with 2.5 billion new urban residents estimated by 2050 concentrated in Africa and Asia. Historically, urbanization has been a key driving force behind rising incomes, living standards and innovation. However, in the rapidly growing cities of today, this trend is breaking down, with troubling implications for the hundreds of millions of people who call these cities home.
The State of Charter Cities is Strong
Like any early-stage startup, charter cities are currently a momentum play, and the state of charter cities is strong. With Próspera in the news, it’s time to take stock of the charter cities space. But first, a roundup of all the recent Prospera coverage: - Scott Alexander has the best explainer on Próspera. - Tyler Cowen writes how Próspera is part of a broader movement of libertarianism re-inventing itself. - Bloomberg also recently covered it.
China’s Development Evolution with Yuen Yuen Ang on Apple Podcasts
59 min China’s rapid rise may seem unprecedented, but its journey is oddly familiar. The question is, where have we seen this type of development before, and what does the future have in store? Joining us today to answer this is Yuen Yuen Ang, Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan. Her research lies at the intersection of governance, bureaucracy, business and innovation and she explores which institutions best enable adaptation.
Send in the Vaccine Troops
The U.S. military can work with the private sector to immunize efficiently. Sign up for the American Mind Newsletter Welcome, and thanks for subscribing to the Roundup, where you'll receive our summary of The American Mind every week in your inbox. We're looking forward to bringing you the best writing and commentary on the ideas that drive the debate in this pivotal time for our nation.
Publishing, signaling, social capital, and gender: Determinants of becoming a tenured professor in German political science
Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Martin Schröder , Mark Lutter , Isabel M. Habicht Martin Schröder, Mark Lutter, Isabel M.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 15: A City in the Cloud with Balaji Srinivasan
Digital technology has evolved to the point that by hitting keys and tapping mice buttons, you can literally build a city in the cloud. This viral idea was started by angel investor Balaji Srinivasan, who believes in creating cities with crowd-funded territories and governed by smart contracts. In our conversation with Balaji, we touch on many intricate topics that link to two concepts — using tech to design ideal cities and how innovation is driven by exit strategies.
The rise and fall of the industrial R&D lab
19 Mins For a time in recent history, R&D labs seemed to exist in a golden age of innovation and productivity. But this period vanished as swiftly as it came to be. Contents Once, small firms centred on inventors were responsible for most of our innovation. Larger firms might buy or exploit these steps forwards, but they did not typically make them. And then for a brief period, this changed: many of the best new products, tools, and ideas came from research labs within large corporations.
Practical veganism
12 Mins Polls show that the majority of Americans want to reduce their consumption of meat, but many struggle to do so. People really hate vegans and vegetarians. In one study, participants reported disliking vegans and vegetarians more than immigrants and atheists; only drug addicts were more disliked than vegans.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 3: Alain Bertaud on cities as labor markets, which ancient civilization built the best city, and who was better, Robert Moses or Jane Jacobs. - Dr. Mark Lutter
For today’s episode, we discuss urban planning with Alain Bertaud, senior research scholar at NYU’s Marron Institute and the author of Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities. Our conversation covers many subtopics under the central theme of the processes that allow cities to come into being and be maintained.
To Counter China's Belt and Road Initiative, Build Cities
A smarter way to push back against both debt-based Chinese financing, and American hawks urging military action. After appearing to have conquered the coronavirus at home, China is using the global political and economic disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to aggressively advance long term geo-political interests. China has cracked down on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and has made bold moves in the South China Sea.
Charter Cities Commentary: June 2020 - Dr. Mark Lutter
Charter cities commentary: Hi everyone, Hong Kong is in the news again, for unfortunate reasons. Beijing is poised to pass the National Security Law, which will abrogate the Basic Law which governs Hong Kong. While there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding how the National Security Law will be enforced, this is a sea change for Hong Kong and its relationship with China and the world.
Charter Cities Podcast Episode 6: Peter Zeihan on the Determinant Power of Geography and the Coming Disorder
Joining us on the show today is geopolitical strategist, speaker and author, Peter Zeihan! Our conversation spans a wide range of connected topics, centering on the immediate future facing the United States and the global economy, with particular attention given to the question of China. Peter holds a somewhat less common position on China's supposed power, arguing that the country is a paper tiger, waiting to ignite.
Building a New City For The People of Hong Kong
Last fall, when anti-extradition protests in Hong Kong drew global attention, Ivan Ko, a Hong Kong citizen with decades of experience in real estate and property development, began brainstorming with friends about how to create options for Hong Kong’s people in case the living situation there worsened. Over the last few weeks, with China’s passage of new national security laws, Ko’s fears were realized.
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