Martin Adams — Bhutan / GMC Briefing — 2026-05-12
Date: 2026-05-12 Source: Zoom summary, zoom@ubiworks.ca, gmail_id: 19e1dfa60e624858 Duration: 1:07:05 Participants: martin-adams, ken, frank-peddle, andrew-pif (likely)
Summary
Martin Adams briefed the group on his recent trip to Bhutan, focusing on Bhutan’s geopolitical position, the Gilafu Mindfulness City (GMC) project, land ownership models, and potential collaboration opportunities for applying LVT/Georgist principles.
Bhutan — Geopolitical Context
- Buddhist-majority country allowing freedom of religion but prohibiting proselytizing. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Strategically caught between China and India. China has territorial ambitions — “five fingers of Tibet” strategy includes Bhutan. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Bhutan’s survival depends on navigating between two hegemons. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
Gilafu Mindfulness City (GMC)
- Created by King Jigme as a special administrative region to address brain drain and high urbanization. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Funded with $1 billion from Bitcoin mining proceeds. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Vision: financial hub — “the Switzerland of Asia” — with low taxation and digital infrastructure. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Digital currency called Terra, backed by physical gold reserves, created to prevent systemic inflation. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Massive international airport under construction — ~$300M, scheduled completion 2029. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- GMC’s core is still privately owned and requires a transition plan to become a community-owned entity. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Land in the GMCA region is proposed for public ownership. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
Martin Adams — Personal Trip Details
- Hiked to Tiger’s Nest. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Had an audience with His Majesty the King. Discussed land use rights and affordable housing. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Presented a preliminary proposal about land value sharing to the King. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- King expressed interest in creating a DAO for the city and GMC. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Met Thai billionaires on a chartered plane. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
Land Ownership Models Discussion
- LVT concept is semantically similar to public land ownership but politically different — key challenge is fairly transitioning existing private property owners. [Source: Martin Adams, Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- frank-peddle referenced Singapore’s approach to public-private land ownership. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Andrew suggested Japan’s land governance system — standardized zoning procedures and provincial governance structure — as potential inspiration. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- King’s role in directing resource rents noted, but exact ownership structure unclear. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
Cultural Notes
- Bhutan: Gross National Happiness and environmental sustainability as core values. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Ken’s piano skills discussed as potential asset for ceremonial events in Bhutan. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
Action Items
Andrew:
- Reach out to connections in urbanist spaces (e.g., Progress and Poverty Institute) for expertise on land governance and infrastructure project implementation. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
Ken:
- Edit/cut sensitive parts of recording (discussion about China) if approved for public release, to avoid diplomatic issues. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
Martin Adams:
- Run recording (or relevant sections) by Bhutan contacts for approval before considering public release — especially re: sensitive China content. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]
- Organize follow-up call to discuss and brainstorm implementation approaches for land governance and compensation models for GMC. [Source: Zoom summary, 2026-05-12]