PRIVATE, VOLUNTARY AND PROPRIETARY CITIES

Liberstad is partially built on the ideas of Spencer MacCullum and Spencer Heath about proprietary cities and communities, and partially on the anarcho-capitalistic idea of voluntary and private cities.

A proprietary city or society consists mostly of one single company that owns the property that the city is built on. The owner-company provides maintenance, sanitation, safety, and the operation of the city or town itself. Other private individuals or companies then rents spaces, buildings and condominiums from the landowner.
A simple example of a small proprietary city is a shopping mall. One company owns the entire building and land and provides maintenance, security and the operation of the building as a whole. It then rents out spaces and/or apartments to other individuals and/or companies who live or have businesses in the mall.
Another example of a proprietary city is Disney World. Disney World consists of over 27.400 acres of property owned by one single company that is in charge of the maintenance and development of the city. Disney World has its own money called Disney Dollars and its own security company that ensures order in the city.
The city consists of apartments, hotels, restaurants, shops, parks and roads, and is all owned by The Walt Disney Company.

A private or voluntary city is also based on private ownership, but unlike proprietary cities that usually only has one owner, the private and voluntary cities have several private owners who individually or jointly own and develop all parts of the city. Examples include private solutions for water and sewage systems, either through joint cooperation or services provided by private firms. Other examples are private schools and kinder-gardens, private healthcare as general physicians, emergency care and nursing homes, and private security company to keep order and maintain security in the city.

Liberstad will be built on both of these ideas. Liberstad Drift AS will be the owner and developer of most parts of the city. This will include roads, sidewalks, parks, market area, concert area, camping area and cabins and apartments.
The residential area that will be sold as freehold land to private individuals will be built on the idea of private and voluntary city. There will be many different owners who either alone, jointly or through private firms can provide services that the residents wants.
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One of the purposes of Liberstad is to show that private operators can deliver city services that are both cheaper and better quality than what bureaucratic city councils or local councils can deliver., which in turn will give more freedom and choices for the residents

Private and proprietary cities also have many other advantages over bureaucratic and political cities. Private and proprietary cities have an incentive to make the city as appealing and attractive as possible, and for the lowest possible price. The better services the owner provides, the higher the rental income, the operating income and the property value will be.

Here are some links to articles, books and videos about private, voluntary and proprietary cities and communities

• Introduction To Proprietary Cities - article from FEE by Mark Lutter
• Private Cities 101 - article from FEE av Mark Lutter
• The Future Evolution Of Proprietary Cities - article from The Mitrailleuse by Mark Lutter
• How Policing Works In A Privatized City - article from FFE by Jeffrey Tucker
• The Art Of Community - book written by Spencer H. MacCullum (free)
• Citadel, Market and Altar - book written by Spencer Heath (free)
• The Voluntary City - book by David T. Beito , Peter Gordon, Alexander Tabarrok​

Are Private Cities In Our Future -
​Tom Woods intervjuer Alexander Tabarrok

10 of the Largest Captivating Private Cities