City and META City
mcgsds

City and META City

The META city would "belong" to the parent city which founded it. The city would organize, plan and build its META facilities through a structured process involving all interested parties. Thus the META city is a product of the city, as a butterfly is the product of the caterpillar. They function together like a parent and child. The city cedes authority to a new entity which it dominates at first but recognizes as its inheritor.

As a city exists within a county, the META city would exist within a city, but with a major difference. Nations, states and counties are divisions of land and natural resources, the natural environment, while a city is the product of the built environment, the result of human technology. The META city is a special district within the city, dependent upon the existing density and economic strength of the parent city for its vitality.

Tax and fee revenue from the META City will flow into the parent after the district's obligations are met. These revenues would supplement the city's general revenue and reward their investment in the META City.

The benefits which a META establishment would bring to the parent city would not be limited to revenue (which would not flow Into the city's treasury to any great extent until the development and building costs had been paid off). A city would create its META partner primarily to provide greatly increased vitality for its metropolitan region and the META citizens living within it. Goods entering and leaving the system through the city's retailers, wholesalers, producers, manufacturers and shippers would have a multiplier effect upon the city's economy.

In addition to such commercial transactions, the advantage, which the city would have being able to tap Into the META date bank through the daughter facilities would be considerable. This Information could be made available to citizens at fees, which would not be prohibitive but could provide the city with an additional revenue source, The advantages to the citizens is obvious. Even those business and organizations which did not have offices within the META facility, and where therefore not members of the System, could purchase high quality information on an as-needed basis, to help in marketing and production decisions.

Daily Transaction Data: At the heart of the META system's data bank would be the daily cash record of inventory movements, through wholesale and retail transactions within the parent cities belonging to the system. This data would come from individual computerized cash registers throughout the city, which would feed their data into a central computer within the META City.

In addition to supply this data, the DTD system would also enable the city to tabulate the sales tax, recorded at each cash register in the city and, through electronic banking, greatly improve Its cash flow procedures. Business people would at least be freed from the paper work connected with sales taxes.

Electronic banking would be the basis for all monetary exchanges within the META system, bills would be paid and loans would be advanced via computer. Indeed, the day to day workings within the system would rely on electronic credits -rather than on money as we think or it today. Payments would be instantaneous (although deferred payments could be negotiated), easing problems of "cash flow" for producers and those in services.

Through the use of the vast META data bank, producers, shippers and wholesaler-importers would have both an accurate view of the market and up to the minute knowledge of where products or transportation units were anywhere in the system. This information coupled with instantaneous electronic payments would make bookkeeping easier and company planning much safer and more accurate.

Employment: Employees of the META system would be META citizens or in this sense the META system represents one international entity, with scattered bits and pieces linked over space by transportation and communications. META citizens would thus move freely within the system as leisure time activities, business demands or employment opportunities dictate or allow. Of course the META passport would only be valid within META zones within the system, although it is hoped that they would be recognized as by nation states as a basis for issuing tourist or student visas outside of the free trade zones.

Free movement of META citizens would represent one of the perquisites for META employees, it would not only offer opportunities for travel but also for a wide variety of career opportunities and experiences. This would be especially valuable to citizens of developing nations.

This free migration would also ensure that the talent pool within the META system would be utilized in the most efficient manner. Skilled workers and managers need not be bunched in one place, competing for limited opportunities, while much needed positions remain empty or understaffed elsewhere.

While it is too soon to predict whether or not a META language would evolve, intensive language-training sessions as well as translating facilities for in-house and personal, portable computers would ease existing language barriers.

The economic vitality, which will flow from the META City to the mother municipality, will be based on the ability of local businesses to buy and sell through the META system. Since purchase of retail and wholesale goods with the free trade area will be limited to members and those who work within the system, most goods will flow through the META system to the surrounding economy. Because they will be subject to taxation only when they leave the system, they should be cheaper to those living and in the mother city.

The META data bank will be available to businesses, which are not members of the system through the mother municipality (which owns the META City) for a reasonable fee.

Finally, the experience, knowledge and Income gained from employment within the system will be of great value to those individuals who choose to leave the META City in order to go into business for themselves, or to establish META villages.

Government: Both the internal government of the META City and the relation between city and META city should be organized, as much as possible, an a democratic basis. One possible governmental structure would consist of a META City Board of governors, with a chairman, who would see to the day-to-day running of the META City. The majority of the Board's members would be elected by the voters of the mother city. The rest, plus the chairperson, would be elected by the META citizens, The board itself would operate under the limitations of a charter (the document that would originally found the META city) which will have been approved, by special referendum, by the voters of the mother city. A coordinating council, made up of members of the META City Board of Governors and members of the council of the mother city, would handle relations between city and META city. Members of the Board of governors would serve terms as long as those of members of the city council but elections for each body would be held at the different times, generally at about the middle of the other's term. Elections for Chairman of the Board of Governors would also take place at offsetting times of the mayoral elections in the mother city. The length of term would be the same as for the mayor. META Citizens would also elect a person to represent their interests before the city council of the Mother city.

NEXT

[MetaCity] [From 1980] [MetaCity Concept] [META¥City Program]