What is a Convention City?

A charter city is a type of city in which a guarantor from a developed country would create a city within a developing host country. The guarantor would administer the region, with the power to create their own laws, judiciary, and immigration policies outside of the control of the host country ». Could we not develop a more acceptable and responsible model, the convention cities; developped and managed by operators as delegated managers, administrators by the virtue of a convention of delegation and (jointly-supervised, enforced) autonomy?

In effect, the “charter city” model, as proposed by Paul Romer and others, was essentially a form of extraterritorial or special governance urban zone — administered by a guarantor or partner with its own rules and systems.

What we are proposing — “Convention Cities” — would be a modern, sovereign, and legally elegant evolution of that idea.

Let’s define and structure it precisely.

Concept: Convention Cities

Definition: Convention City is a city or urban zone created, governed, and managed under the terms of a formal Convention (treaty, law, or special act) between:the sovereign host State, one or several delegated operators or consortia (public, private, or mixed), and optionally international or supranational partners (for governance, arbitration, or guarantees).

This Convention confers delegated authority, autonomy, and responsibility to the operator to design, build, administer, and manage the city according to defined principles, under joint supervision and contractual enforcement.

Legal and Institutional Framework

Foundation:

The ConventionThe city’s foundation document — the “Convention” — is a sovereign agreement approved by national law or parliamentary ratification.

It defines legal personality and territorial limits of the city; Delegation of powers (urban management, economic regulation, civil law, police, etc.); Duration (e.g. 50–99 years, renewable); Rights and duties of the operator and of the host state;

Governance mechanisms (shared board, arbitration chamber, audits);

Human rights, environment, and constitutional compliance clauses. It’s neither a “foreign enclave” nor a “colony”, but a delegated city — a partnership of governance and development.

2. Delegated Operator (Administrator)The operator could be: A national or international consortium of developers, financiers, and management firms; A public-private authority; A special purpose entity with a clear mandate and performance benchmarks.

It would act as the city administrator (delegated manager), responsible for: Urban planning and infrastructure; Economic regulation (licensing, business registration, SEZ framework); Service provision (utilities, education, healthcare, waste, energy, digital); Revenue collection and expenditure;Maintenance of public order (possibly via a local civic guard or municipal corps).

3. Governance and Supervision

The model relies on joint oversight:A Host State Supervisory Commission (sovereign representation);A Convention Authority Board (representing both parties);International Observers or Auditors (for transparency, compliance, and trust); Local participatory councils (citizens, investors, residents).

All major decisions must comply with:National sovereignty principles;The Convention’s framework;International law and human rights norms.—💡

Key Distinctions from Charter Cities

Aspect Charter City Convention CityLegal basis Often extraterritorial or foreign-administered Based on a Convention of Delegation within sovereign lawGovernance Foreign guarantor Jointly governed under contractual autonomySovereignty Partial or external Fully national, with delegated powersAccountability To guarantor To both host and operator, through Convention mechanismsVision Development experiment Integrated, cooperative urban development platform—🧭 Use Cases & Models1. Economic Convention Cities → within SEZs or FTZs for industrial & innovation clusters.2. Tourism / Cultural Cities → managed by global operators under sustainable frameworks.3. Green or Regenerative Cities → for environmental R&D, climate tech, circular economy.4. Human Capital Cities → education, training, health, digital economy hubs.5. Maritime / Port Cities → co-administered by port authorities and international investors.6. Diplomatic or Peace Cities → neutral, co-managed, international convention grounds.—🛡️ Example of Legal Clause (simplified)> “By virtue of the present Convention, the State delegates to the Operator the administration, development, and management of the Convention City for a renewable period of 75 years. The Operator exercises its powers within the limits defined herein and under the supervision of the Convention Authority. The sovereignty of the State remains intact; the autonomy granted is functional, not political.”—🌐 BenefitsPredictable governance and investment climateLong-term development accountabilityModernized public administration modelsShared sovereignty through partnershipReplicable framework for regional development—If you’d like, I can help you draft the official structure and framework of a Convention City Charter, including:Institutional structureGovernance & oversight mechanismsLegal architecture (sovereign, delegated, international clauses)Implementation roadmap (from negotiation to operationalization)Would you like me to outline that next?