Model Cities for Refugees
Model Cities for Refugees
by Albert Steck
2 October 2021
Albert Steck is an economics editor at NZZ am Sonntag, Switzerland
The number of refugees worldwide has doubled in just ten years. Today, the UN has already registered more than 80 million people who have been forcibly displaced. A large proportion of these refugees live locked up in camps - and not just temporarily. On average, a resident spends 17 years of his life in such a camp.
Christian Kälin therefore demands that politicians fundamentally change the way they deal with refugees. "Today, they are primarily considered a cost factor - most of the time they are not even allowed to work," he criticizes. "Instead, we should promote the productive potential of these people, because they are often among the most motivated of all."
The Andan Foundation, which Kälin founded, is working on the project of a model city for refugees. He uses city-states such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai, which have achieved great prosperity in a self-governing manner, as historical models. "It is crucial that such a city is given a stable legal framework."
Kälin expects investments in the order of $700 million, with his sights set primarily on private investors. He will not name partners, but says the response so far has been very positive, especially in the technology sector. "This is a humanitarian project that also offers an interesting business plan."
Companies get the chance to build state-of-the-art infrastructure and implement novel systems of sustainability. Those who take the risk of investing can also benefit from rising land prices, he adds.
Kälin puts the number of residents at tens of thousands in an initial phase, but millions of people would settle in such cities over time. "The trend toward urbanization continues. Only with new cities can we meet the environmental challenges."
Among the project's supporters is Stephen Klimczuk-Massion. A strategy consultant at Kearney and formerly with the World Economic Forum, he has global connections. "Western countries need to think more creatively about the unresolved refugee and migrant crisis," he complains. And recalls that Europe also counted more than 10 million displaced people after World War II. "Countries like Canada, Australia or the U.S. owe much of their success to immigrants. We should be inspired by this model."
Kälin is in contact with several states to provide territory in sparsely populated areas. As soon as the project is secured by sufficient investors, it will be implemented. He emphasizes that there is no shortage of potential land areas, but possibly the willingness to get involved in a visionary idea.
See link to article:
https://www.nzz.ch/english/citizenship-by-investment-is-booming-but-is-it-fair-ld.1656800