These artificial cities and towns were built for all kinds of reasons. One example in Russia was dressed up with faux facades for a visit from Putin in 2013, closely following the mold of the Potemkin villages of yore. Some, like China's replica cities, were built by developers to architecturally mimic Western cities like Paris. Others were constructed by the military or self-driving car companies to provide realistic urban environments in which to practice maneuvers or test new tech. "These Potemkin villages are for me an interesting symbol of the sometimes absurd developments of our society," Sailer says, referring to the illusions, fakes, and manipulations that governments and companies employ to maintain and extend their power.

In order to be at the forefront of the race for self-propelled vehicles, South Korea is building a huge test track: the K-City is as big as a small town, simulates the real traffic and is scheduled to go into operation in autumn. Not only the USA and Germany but also South Korea is working on the self-propelled car. The South Korean government is now taking a further step to advance the technology in their own country faster. In October, the K-City will be opened. It is a 360,000 square meter site near the city of Hwaseong, on a giant test track for autonomous vehicles, narrow streets, traffic lights, roundabouts, even more, traffic lights, parking lots, bus lanes and an expressway.