Billionaire Bill Gates Plans Futuristic Smart City In The Arizona Desert

Forty miles west of Phoenix lies an almost entirely undeveloped area of land. That's where Microsoft billionaire and founder Bill Gates, in partnership with his development company, is planning to build a smart city.

If all goes as planned, the 234 square mile city would be called Belmont, and it would be a master-planned community with every major technological innovation possible. They plan to power the city with renewable energy like solar and incorporate tech like self-driving vehicles as part of the infrastructure.

Belmont, Arizona: A Vision for the Future

When completed, Belmont would be about the size of Tempe. The futuristic vision is an urban area that integrates cutting-edge technologies at every turn. Features like high-speed digital networks and data centers would be part of the backbone of the city, and the infrastructure would be custom-made for autonomous vehicles and other innovations.

Arizona was chosen as the ideal location partly because it has very progressive laws for operating autonomous vehicles, and developers see the state as a good fit for the technologies.

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The Belmont development would include 80,000 residential units, plus office space, retail areas, and amenities like schools, police stations, and more.

READ MORE: Is Climate Change Affecting the Most Important Lake in Arizona?

When Will Belmont Be Built and Ready for Occupancy?

In spite of the grand vision for Belmont, no one has yet announced a timeline for when the city might be ready for occupancy. The project is still in the preliminary stages of planning and development.

While developers have cultivated plans for powering the city, they haven't yet solved a major problem: how they plan to supply water to residents and businesses over the next 100 years. This hurdle is one they will have to address in the already water-starved state.

READ MORE: Could Water Issues Close Fort Huachuca?

If the plan works, Belmont could become a jewel of the desert, a showcase for technology and sustainability.

YouTube User @TrailBlazedHQ explains how the city could come together, and the challenges involved in getting this project off the ground:

Sources: Slate | Techspot | Arizona Technology Council | YouTube: @TrailBlazedHQ | Arch Daily | ARS 28-9702 | Yahoo! Finance ]