Sea levels are constantly on the rise, so it's not surprising that one of the contingency plans for humanity's survival is a floating city reminiscent of Hollywood film Waterworld.
The United Nations unveils the concept of such a city during the first UN roundtable on Sustainable Floating Cities, which is believed to be a potential solution for coastal cities in danger of the effects of climate change.
Floating cities may very well be the future of humans with coastal cities projected to bear the brunt of coastal erosion and flooding, which will destroy infrastructure and displace millions of people.
Now, non-profit organization OCEANIX, the architecture firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, and the MIT Center for Ocean Engineering are revealing the design of the world's first ever sustainable floating city.
Sustainable, flood-proof, capable of withstanding mega storms, it is a city envisioned to adapt to the changing Earth.
Oceanix City Of The Future
According to a press release from BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, the city would consist of 2-hectare modular neighborhoods capable of hosting self-sustaining populations of up to 300 individuals. Within each neighborhood are spaces for living, working, and gathering with buildings not rising any higher than seven stories.
These neighborhoods are linked together in clusters of six with a central harbor to make a village. Six villages are then connected to form a complete city with a bigger protected harbor in the middle. Oceanix City can hold 10,000 residents.
People can use electric vehicles to travel through neighborhoods, villages, and the city.
The various pieces of this futuristic Oceanix City can be prefabricated on land, then towed to their permanent location.
Living On Water
A floating city envisions a harmonious existence between humans and marine life. Beneath the moored platforms, reefs, seaweed, and marine life keep the water clean and accelerate the ecosystem regeneration.
"It is not a question of one versus the other," Marc Collins Chen, co-founder and CEO of OCEANIX, said in a statement. "The technology exists for us to live on water, without killing marine ecosystems."
Chen adds that the organization is also seeking to make these futuristic cities affordable and available to everyone, not just a privilege of the wealthy.
"Nine out of 10 of the world's largest cities will be exposed to rising seas by 2050," Bjarke Ingels, founding partner of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, points out. "The sea is our fate — it is our future."
