HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

How to Grow a City in Honduras, Part IV: Citizens as Shareholders

Views:954
@ReasonVids

Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Central and South America. It has the highest murder rate in the world, almost double the next closest contender. It's a place ravaged by the drug trade and political instability, where as recently as 2009 the military ousted a president pushing to modify the constitution in order to extend his own term. It may seem like the last place on earth where businesses would want to invest, and people would want to move.

But there's a new idea about to be tried in Honduras.

Some call it a Startup City or Free City, others a LEAP Zone, and in Honduran law it's known as a ZEDE. They are politically autonomous, privately run zones that supporters believe could transform not only Honduras, but the entire developing world.

In "Citizens as Shareholders," the final episode in a four-part series, entrepreneurs behind a company called Elevator Cities share their vision of what they hope will be one of Honduras' first ZEDEs. They plan to have a private security force, voting based on "shareholder" status that residents can earn by opening a business or owning land inside the zone and implementing a completely automated "smart contract" system both for executing agreements and engaging in arbitration.

If we are able to really show people that this is for real and that Honduras are serious about not interfering, then I think we can do something amazing," says Gabriel Delgado, CEO of Elevator Cities.

While there's no guarantee that the Committee for the Adoption of Best Practices will approve Elevator Cities' proposal, the next few months will be telling for the future of the ZEDEs and the broader startup cities project as the first zones get approval and begin to break ground.

"If this can be made to work and attract investment and resolve all of the other potential issues, I expect to see in the next 10 to 20 years, literally first dozens and then perhaps hundreds of similar experiments around the world that will accelerate the end of poverty more rapidly than probably anyone can imagine," says Elevator Cities President Michael Strong.

Watch the video above, and check out the rest of the series here. Part I introduces the key players and concepts behind the Honduran ZEDEs and the broader startup cities movement. Part II explores already existing examples of experimental governance in Honduras, including entire towns commissioned and governed by private companies. Part III delves into the history of the Honduran ZEDEs and highlights both past and current criticism of the project. Or, watch the whole thing here.

Approximately 5 minutes. Produced by Zach Weissmueller and Ross Kenyon. Edited by Weissmueller. Music by Chris Zabriskie and Podington Bear.

Visit http://reason.com/reasontv for downloadable versions of this video, and don't forget to subscribe to Reason TV's Youtube channel for more content like this. This project was co-produced with the Moving Picture Institute.

honduras
,
zedes
,
startup cities
,
charter cities
,
free cities
,
economic zones
,
economic freedom
,
immigration
,
border crisis
,
central america
,
libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
elevator cities
,
michael strong
    Thumbnail for Jeffrey Tucker on Liberty.me and How the Internet Undermines the Nation-State6:03
    Jeffrey Tucker on Liberty.me and How the Internet Undermines the Nation-State
    ReasonVids
    928 views
    Thumbnail for What Happened to Kids in Cages? | Grunt Speak Highlights5:22
    What Happened to Kids in Cages? | Grunt Speak Highlights
    Terrence Popp
    1424 views
    Thumbnail for "For Their Own Protection": Children in Long-Term Solitary Confinement13:17
    "For Their Own Protection": Children in Long-Term Solitary Confinement
    ReasonVids
    1023 views
    Thumbnail for Los Angeles Is Squandering $1.2 Billion While Homeless Face a ‘Spiral of Death’26:51
    Los Angeles Is Squandering $1.2 Billion While Homeless Face a ‘Spiral of Death’
    ReasonVids
    898 views
    Thumbnail for The Internet Has "Hollywood Very Scared": Atlas Shrugged's Harmon Kaslow9:08
    The Internet Has "Hollywood Very Scared": Atlas Shrugged's Harmon Kaslow
    ReasonVids
    856 views
    Thumbnail for Florida: Open for Business?0:57
    Florida: Open for Business?
    IJvids
    837 views
    Thumbnail for Eminent Domain Gone Wild - Part One6:42
    Eminent Domain Gone Wild - Part One
    ReasonVids
    787 views
    Thumbnail for Doug Stanhope on Comedy, His Mother, Libertarians, Alcoholics, and Trump13:21
    Doug Stanhope on Comedy, His Mother, Libertarians, Alcoholics, and Trump
    ReasonVids
    1007 views
    Thumbnail for You'll Take The Mineral Deal And Like It Faggot0:32
    You'll Take The Mineral Deal And Like It Faggot
    bestofupgoat
    76 views
    Thumbnail for Check out Reason's New LA Headquarters!4:10
    Check out Reason's New LA Headquarters!
    ReasonVids
    965 views
    Thumbnail for BBC reporter gets patroled hard by President of Azerbaijan1:45
    BBC reporter gets patroled hard by President of Azerbaijan
    bestofvoatxyz
    524 views
    Thumbnail for What We Saw at the Lemonade & Raw Milk Freedom Day3:50
    What We Saw at the Lemonade & Raw Milk Freedom Day
    ReasonVids
    894 views
    Thumbnail for Filmmaker Michael Covel on Broke: The New American Dream9:19
    Filmmaker Michael Covel on Broke: The New American Dream
    ReasonVids
    985 views
    Thumbnail for Taking Politics Out of Transportation: Economist Bruce Benson on Private Roads6:33
    Taking Politics Out of Transportation: Economist Bruce Benson on Private Roads
    ReasonVids
    953 views
    Thumbnail for Don't Expect Unions To Make a Comeback4:26
    Don't Expect Unions To Make a Comeback
    ReasonVids
    966 views
    Thumbnail for Average Upgoat user when they go outside 0:18
    Average Upgoat user when they go outside
    bestofupgoat
    371 views
    Thumbnail for Two Families Battle Outrageous Fines and Fees in Wisconsin12:49
    Two Families Battle Outrageous Fines and Fees in Wisconsin
    IJvids
    909 views
    Thumbnail for The Reawakening of the Black Gun-Rights Movement9:21
    The Reawakening of the Black Gun-Rights Movement
    ReasonVids
    920 views
    Thumbnail for Today's global temperatures are not unprecedented.0:57
    Today's global temperatures are not unprecedented.
    bestofvoatxyz
    606 views
    Thumbnail for Want to see a Particle Accelerator made of Wooden Trains? | RTGame11:20
    Want to see a Particle Accelerator made of Wooden Trains? | RTGame
    invidious
    282 views
    Thumbnail for 【ライブ】日枝氏含む取締役22人退任 フジテレビ&親会社 社長が会見| TBS NEWS DIG | TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN1:04:36
    【ライブ】日枝氏含む取締役22人退任 フジテレビ&親会社 社長が会見| TBS NEWS DIG | TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN
    invidious
    88 views
    Thumbnail for Discovering Your Inner Hunter-Gatherer: Q&A with Paleo Manifesto Author John Durant59:26
    Discovering Your Inner Hunter-Gatherer: Q&A with Paleo Manifesto Author John Durant
    ReasonVids
    887 views
    Thumbnail for Three Reasons U.S. Drone Policy Is Really Freakin' Scary2:33
    Three Reasons U.S. Drone Policy Is Really Freakin' Scary
    ReasonVids
    980 views
    Thumbnail for Will World War III Be Fought By Robots? The Rise of Autonomous Weapons13:16
    Will World War III Be Fought By Robots? The Rise of Autonomous Weapons
    ReasonVids
    896 views

points

Permalink
Reply
honduras
,
zedes
,
startup cities
,
charter cities
,
free cities
,
economic zones
,
economic freedom
,
immigration
,
border crisis
,
central america
,
libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
elevator cities
,
michael strong
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle