Market Urbanist at @FreeCitiesFound & @KingsCollegeLon. Formerly Senior Researcher at @ZHA_News (London) & Editor-in-Chief at @AtlasNetwork (Kyiv)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Joined September 2009
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The UK needs a new wave of Hong Kong-style self-governing cities, empowered with broad autonomy to explore diverse planning regimes, governance models, and investment strategies.
Check my IAE paper: "Beyond Freeports: Revitalising Britain with Self-Governing Cities" ⤵️
Apparently, after nearly 10 years of research and writing about private cities, there will actually be a book. Out March 2027 — and available for pre-order now!
🗓️ OUT IN MARCH 2027
🏙️ 'City Makers' by @kichanova weaves together ground-level reporting with stories of rebel mayors, visionary architects and tech bros—the first comprehensive exposé of a new urban phenomenon: private cities.
Pre-order ➡️ tinyurl.com/23t4tkzz
ALT Book cover of City Makers: Inside the Rise of Private Cities by Vera Kichanova on a mustard yellow background. The white cover shows a yellow crane hook lifting a small city skyline. Beside it is a photo of a young woman with long brown hair, looking at the camera over her shoulder, wearing a dark floral top with a blurred street behind her.
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
🗓️ OUT IN MARCH 2027
🏙️ 'City Makers' by @kichanova weaves together ground-level reporting with stories of rebel mayors, visionary architects and tech bros—the first comprehensive exposé of a new urban phenomenon: private cities.
Pre-order ➡️ tinyurl.com/23t4tkzz
ALT Book cover of City Makers: Inside the Rise of Private Cities by Vera Kichanova on a mustard yellow background. The white cover shows a yellow crane hook lifting a small city skyline. Beside it is a photo of a young woman with long brown hair, looking at the camera over her shoulder, wearing a dark floral top with a blurred street behind her.
Paraphrasing Churchill, if you put the Socialists in charge of England, there will be a shortage of rain in a few years
Can startup cities defend themselves?
For a month now, Dubai has been living under Iranian air strikes — and life goes on. Here’s my insider’s account of what it feels like, and what it means for the future of special jurisdictions: free-cities.org/can-startup-…
This is the standard argument:
No one will defend a city of nomads. At the first sign of danger, everyone will pack up and leave. A small, business-oriented jurisdiction cannot survive an attack from a tax-funded military machine.
Turns out, they can.
The excitement of seeing your mum on stage 🌟
Get your ticket to the Free Cities Conference 2026 — not just the world’s largest gathering of people building liberty in our lifetime, but probably the most child-friendly libertarian event you’ll ever attend!
@freecitiesfound
All under-18s get a free ticket and a dedicated kids’ corner, so they are entertained while parents enjoy the talks.
Here, some young attendees are getting a free chess lesson from @Chesschick01, while Carina is busy planning the transport infrastructure for a future Free City.
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
Скоро будет 24 февраля — 4 года полномасштабного вторжения в Украину.
Я считаю, что лучше оставить тот день для полной поддержки украинцев. Украине нужно много помощи — чтобы продолжать защищаться и чтобы минимизировать человеческие страдания от атак на жилые дома, энергосистему и т. д. Сегодня выскажу своё мнение с точки зрения будущего России.
Я смотрю на эту ситуацию частично с внутренней и частично с внешней перспективы. Я родился в России, моя семья вся русская, но вырос я в Канаде. Политическую ситуацию я всё время наблюдал. В 2017 году даже послал Навальному один биткоин, но сильно вовлечён не был. Я слежу за ситуацией через интернет, как все. И у меня есть свои политические инстинкты после 15 лет в крипте и всякой борьбы в Твиттере (Иксе?). У каждого есть право меня слушать или не слушать — как хотите.
Здесь напишу две части:
1. Почему я поддерживаю Украину и говорю, что эта война — преступная агрессия, а не «сложная ситуация, где обе стороны вели себя грязно», как говорят некоторые?
2. Про будущее: сегодняшний «тупик», идея «мира с народом России», и на основе каких идей может быть создано более положительное будущее России, и правильная роль идей «децентрализации», «цифровой демократии» и.т.д.
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
🇦🇪 Tonight: Dr. Titus Gebel in Dubai! 🇦🇪
Don’t miss your chance to meet @TitusGebel — author of the “Free Private Cities” book, Founder & President of the Free Cities Foundation, and CEO of Tipolis, a company building a true “market of living together” through creating self-governing communities across the globe.
📍 Hoya Café & Restaurant
🕖 7:00 PM
Link to RSVP below ⤵️
🇦🇪 Free Cities Meetup | Dubai 🇦🇪
Special guest: @AlexUgorji_, resident and voice of Ciudad Morazán — the so-called “blue-collar Free City” in Honduras.
📍 Hoya Café & Restaurant
🗓 Wed, Jan 14 | 7:00 PM
RSVP: meetup.com/free-cities-dubai…
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
🇭🇳 🇭🇳 🇭🇳 The Future is Bright for Honduras - My Personal Story and Where We Go From Here
Why out of all places did a German entrepreneur, married to an American, move to Honduras?
Four years ago, I made a bet. 👇
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
🚨New Episode Alert!
Designing Free Cities
Featuring Vera Kichanova, Senior Economist of @freecitiesfound . Tomorrow, December 5th, at 2:00PM Dubai Time on a new Guardians of Bitcoin episode.
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
Private Cities are Great for the Environment?
- Free Cities Podcast, Episode 157: "Climbing a Ladder of Consent" with Vera Kichanova, @kichanova
#PrivateCities #Sustainability
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
Dubai's Green Shift: Can Europe Compete?
-
Free Cities Podcast, Episode 157: "Climbing a Ladder of Consent" with Vera Kichanova, @kichanova
#Dubai #Europe
If you’re in Dubai, join us at the Free Cities Meetup tonight — a great chance to catch up over a drink and hear the latest updates from Free Cities projects around the world: Honduras, Brunei, Panama, the US, Portugal, Switzerland, and more
meetup.com/free-cities-dubai…
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
[podcast] Naším hostem byla Vera @kichanova, povídali jsme si o jejím politickém působení v putinovském Rusku, územním plánování, svobodných městech a dalších tématech.
Why are Free Cities good for the environment? Why private innovation, not greenwashing and red tape, makes our planet greener? 🌍
Find out in my last week's presentation at the @freecitiesfound conference in Prague
youtube.com/watch?v=ac343dJg…
Dr. Vera Kichanova 🇺🇦 retweeted
Our 2025 Free Cities Conference was our largest yet, with our highest number of international attendees.
And in case you missed the big announcement — in 2026, we’re taking things to a whole new level.
For the first time ever, the Free Cities Conference will be held in an actual Free City: #Próspera, on the stunning Caribbean island of Roatán, Honduras.
September 3–6, 2026.
This will be an unforgettable four-day experience — a rare chance to immerse yourself in the world’s most ambitious governance experiment, meet the people building it, explore its institutions up close, and see firsthand why Próspera is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting places on earth for freedom-minded innovators.
Expect the same high-calibre talks, panels, and global pioneers you’ve come to know from our Prague event — now combined with world-class tropical experiences: turquoise waters, white-sand beaches, and adventures ranging from reef diving and kayaking to the legendary Black Pearl golf course. All set in one of the Caribbean’s most breathtaking destinations.
Due to capacity limits, tickets are expected to sell out well ahead of the event, so we strongly recommend securing yours early to avoid disappointment.
Plus, a 25% super early-bird discount is available until November 10. Prices rise after this date.
Find out more and get your tickets for the experience of a lifetime here:
freecitiesconference.com/pro…
CC: @ProsperaGlobal 
