Could the metaverse help the real world? Blockcities is reimagining the world--then bringing it to life.

• Author: Mumford, Jacqueline

VIRTUAL WORLDS HAVE BEEN popularized for their ability to take us to concerts and parties or inside our favorite video games and movies. But some people have taken a completely different approach to the burgeoning "metaverse," using it as a tool for tangible change on a global scale.

One of the biggest movers in that arena is Brian Christensen, CEO of Blockcities, a platform running on blockchain technology that allows users to bring their virtual reality into, well, reality.

How? They're shooting for the (virtual) stars ...

USING A VIRTUAL PLANET TO TEST IDEAS FOR THE REAL ONE

... and landing back on (virtual) Earth.

"We designed a digital twin of the planet--a 'Virtual Earth,"' Christensen says. "It's the same structure. The cities and countries that exist here also exist on this platform."

The Virtual Earth features a hexagonal overlay of "tiles," each denominating areas across the planet. That's where non-fungible tokens (NFTs) come into play.

"Each of the tiles on our Virtual Earth is geographically linked to the corresponding regions on our planet and can be 'unlocked' with a purchase of an NFT," Christensen says. "These 'security tokens' are representative of ownership."

Owning a tile grants abilities for that actual region. Owners of Virtual Land can submit an asset for tokenization and rent real-life properties.

"The Virtual Earth exists as a gateway to our main platform, where all of those transactions actually take place," Christensen says. "It allows us to control what areas we're operating in. Long-term, we're looking into making Blockcities a tool for city planning and greenfield development. We want you to take your plans and be able to augment them into what they'll look like in physical form."

VOTING ON THE CHANGES WE WANT TO MAKE IN THE WORLD

To enact those real-world processes, the company uses voting. "On the blockchain, we have the opportunity to make individual votes anonymous, but have the result be blockchain-verified," Christensen says.

Different types of voting scenarios can be facilitated on the Blockades program.

"There's the public vote, where people can choose between option A or B," Christensen says. "That can be used in several different settings--we're envisioning it particularly for developers who are looking to get feedback on designs before going vertical on construction projects. We're also able to hold private votes for smaller groups, like HOAs."

Blockcities also allows for asset-specific voting, where individuals with equity in particular assets have votes weighted according to their percentage ownership in the asset. Even with all of these options, the "game-changer," according to Christensen, is Blockcities' actionable voting process.

"If you want to bring about real-world improvements--put your money where your mouth is--we're offering you a safe way to do it," he says. "Whoever owns the NFT, or the tile, for a...