Are you familiar with the term "Company Town"? We have, collectively, quite a lot of history with the concept. The Soviet Union did quite a lot more with the idea than western countries did.
The GULag system was just one collection of data points. The nuclear weapons reservations, space launch complexes, and bio-weapons towns were others.
The experience was not, on average, considered inspirational.
Re:Starship is still not understood
by imtringued on Friday October 29, 2021 @05:51AM
(#29036877)
Oligarchs live well because they exploit their subjects.
The colonisation of the world by Europeans started with government investment, but eventually became self-sustaining.
If these offworld colonies are free of political correctness, crime, taxes, welfare systems, and disease, and contain only beautiful, healthy, and intelligent people (via careful selection, including genetic screening and IQ tests, of permitted colonists), they could draw the best of humanity to them.