Districts
Overview
Districts are the future vision for GATA's civilizational design, as articulated in the New Dawn Accords. They are legal jurisdictions recognized by GATA that span county-sized territories, have strict borders and regulations, and are fully integrated with The System.
Districts have democratically elected local governments and Second Quorum representatives, sometimes referred to as governors. Local government oversees the Local Authority in its upholding of GATA law. Local governments are also responsible for the distribution of the district’s System Yield and the allocation of the district's discretionary budget.
Because their infrastructure and economy are built on The System, districts automatically report key metrics that help inform GATA-wide System function, such as migration flows, energy production, resource extraction, Yield calculation, and paradigm expansion.
Zones
Zones are areas of a district that are defined for the purpose of administration, research, investment, and city planning.
Zones are either designated by the local government or autonomously defined and regularly redrawn by The System in response to a complex interplay of metrics.
Any given place within a district can be—and often is—within many overlapping zones, forming a contingent constituency of people who live, work, or otherwise have a recognized stake in that area. Zones can confer related voting rights, restrictions, keys, or even special Yield allocations.
These are the most common zone types:
Strict: Areas where the district paradigm is suspended, restricting all technology and information to those classified as Blue (Class-3). Ranging from Gates and large public spaces, to individual buildings or even rooms, strict zones are commonly delineated with scanners or enclosed lockways.
Developing: Contiguous regions that are undergoing significant coordinated investment and development intended to stimulate a System metric, from environmental, to economic, to public health.
Industrial: Contiguous or highly-impactful regions of industrial activity.
Operational: Zones where acute or long-term crises are unfolding. These areas typically have in increased presence of law enforcement and contracted operators, and are closely attended by local government and institutions such as the Ministry of the Future.
Evacuation: A region that is subject to an active evacuation order. Evacuation orders typically specify exempted keys, such as law enforcement, emergency personnel, or contracted operators.
Protected: A region stipulating an environmental, historical, or strategic protected concern. Commonly assigned to public outdoor spaces, parks, landmarks, memorials, and wildlife hotspots.
Gray: Regions within a district's borders occupied by Sovereign populations who refused citizenship through districthood, and where the NDA's laws cannot rightfully be enforced.
Life & Culture
Life in GATA's districts is diverse, spanning vast geographical and demographic territory.
While the fundamental principles outlined in GATA's New Dawn Accords form the procedural bedrock for governance, infrastructure, and law enforcement, each district's unique culture and history is undeniable and naturally expressed in every facet of daily life.
Because district's can be quite large, day-to-day life can vary significantly not just between districts, but also within districts depending on where one lives and works, and how the district is currently zoned.
A district geography, paradigm, economy, and industry all have a large influence on its culture, and contribute to the inter-district bonds that continually enrich and revitalize its culture—as much as they challenge and confound.
Local Government
The administration of a district is overseen by the local government. Local governments are district-specific institutions that are born out of the district incorporation process.
Local governments enact GATA's laws and regulations on behalf of GATA, direct the Local Authority in the enforcement of those laws, distribute System Yield, and work closely with the district's Second Quorum representatives to ensure the district's needs are being met by Atla's legislators.
The local government can also establish its own bylaws that can add to the existing legal framework of GATA, but cannot negate or override GATA's laws. In principle, the local government's legislative policies are reigned in by their constituency's continuing approval.
The structure of the local government is largely dependent on the community and political organizations that formed their foundations. From refugee camp organizers, to local school administrators, or community defense brigades and even gangs, the founding character of the local governments (and, by extension, the Local Authority that they deputize) vary substantially and inform their operation and relationship with their constituencies.
Leadership
The head of the local government is typically a mayor, however some districts have a council of ministers at its head, a handful employ a more direct-democratic structure, and there are even a few districts in which the local government is merged with the Local Authority.
The local government is legitimized by votes of confidence from its citizens via the Third Quorum. If a local government falls below the minimum confidence score outlined in the System Requirements, it is in jeopardy of losing Yield, having its paradigm tightened, and/or other sanctions dictated by the Second Quorum.
Borders, Import & Export
Districts have fully-privileged Gates which receive regular Yield shipments automated by The System, and facilitate travel between districts for those with the requisite keys.
District borders are enforced by Field Walls and Border Patrol. Field walls are walls of light that detect all activity crossing their path and notify Angelis Watchers who relay illegal wall transit to Border Patrol.
Field walls are often supplemented with numerous additional deterrents and security measures to discourage illegal transit.
It is nearly impossible to enter a district without being detected and intercepted, however some unlawful operators known as Wallrunners have made a profession of breaching district borders.
The Path to Districthood
New districts are incorporated into GATA every year. The process to become a district is relatively straightforward, but very intensive. The minimum population for a new district is 1 million citizens and the maximum is 10 million, however these restrictions are only a guideline. Prospective districts must elect a provisional local government to represent their populace, who must then formally apply for districthood. If accepted by the Second Quorum, and approved by the AIC, onboarding begins.
A delegate is selected from the Second Quorum to advise on the ground in the prospective district, and they work together with the AIC, Systema staff and the local government to ensure that the district is on the path to meet System Requirements for reporting and NDA compliance.
This involves the installation of a System Node, System endpoints and terminals, the licensing of all legal enterprises, the establishment of a Local Authority, and the collection of all illegal technology and other contraband. This process generally takes 2-5 years.
Prospective districts with land-locked Gray Zones inside their borders often find themselves waiting much longer for districting. Once the prospective district is ready, the System Node is switched from testnet to mainnet and the Field Walls are activated.
Bridge Districts
Bridge Districts, often just called "bridges" for short, are non-GATA NDA-compliant districts in partner states that implement The System. They are named for their diplomatic role in bridging GATA and the other world powers and promoting GATA's long-term goal of aligning global governance.
Beginning with the Morning Light Summit, other states were given the opportunity to sign the New Dawn Accords and establish districts of their own that adhere to the NDA’s regulations.
Further negotiations with the African Union in the wake of the Broken Dawn Revolt resulted in a compromise allowing these jurisdictions to optionally implement their own build of The System so long as its operation complies with the NDA.
These districts remain a part of their host states while being fully compatible with the operational and legal architecture of GATA. In effect, these districts become bridges between GATA and their host states, making for natural hubs for travel, cultural exchange, enterprise, and commerce.
Within Bridge Districts, which enforce their own technological paradigms, GATA is willing to explore technology sharing initiatives. Even though Bridge Districts are not really part of GATA, it is customary for Bridge Districts to elect governors who serve a diplomatic and symbolic role, liaising with GATA’s Second Quorum and their staff.
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