What if we could build the ideal sustainable city from scratch? Jan Sramkek is the founder/CEO of California Forever, a company aiming to build an affordable, urban community in Solano County, California. Reid—an investor in California Forever—and Aria sat down with Jan to talk about the vision for the city, where it draws inspiration from, and some of the controversy that has sprung up around the initiative since it was announced in 2023.

Read the transcript of this episode here. https://www.possible.fm/podcasts/jan

For more about:
California Forever/East Solano Plan (https://eastsolanoplan.com/)
Zipline (https://www.flyzipline.com/)
Living Carbon (https://www.livingcarbon.com/)
JFK speech at Rice University (https://www.rice.edu/jfk-speech)

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

Topics:
0:00 - Hellos and intros
0:53 - Inspiration from upbringing
2:20 - Early career and shift to housing and real estate
4:23 - Introduction to California Forever/East Solano Plan
5:13 - Timeline for first residents
5:51 - Phases and stages of development
6:58 - Affordable housing critiques and solutions
9:24 - Comparisons with Tokyo and Houston
11:03 - Livability and economic opportunity
17:34 - Criticism and farmer concerns
19:37 - Democratic process and voter involvement
20:37 - Community developments and misconceptions
23:24 - Public transit and infrastructure integration
28:51 - Feasibility of the project
31:43 - Learning from global and historical examples
35:50 - Nonprofit and government partnerships
38:30 - Green and sustainable city planning
41:20 - Rapid-fire questions
43:22 - Final thoughts and closing remarks


Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.