Remember the film Waterworld? Well, that vision of the future may not be so far from reality, if new off-shore floating cities from Oceanix are given the go-ahead by the United Nations. Jenny Southan reports
By 2050, 90 per cent of the world’s largest cities could be exposed to rising sea levels, displacing millions of people and submerging homes, so Earth needs a contingency plan.
A project proposed by architectural firm BIG and nonprofit company Oceanix, is setting out to prepare for the worst with its futuristic model for floating cities.
Initially, they would be built in the most vulnerable tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world, and would range from aquatic villages for 1,600 people to much larger cities of up to 10,000 people, with hexagonal clusters of islands covering 75 hectares. They could then be considered for colder parts of the world.
In April, he shared his vision for floating cities with BIG at the debut United Nations high-level round-table on Sustainable Floating Cities in New York.
It was reported that the assistant secretary-general and deputy executive director of UN Habitat, Victor Kisob, said that “all solutions must be considered in how we build cities… It’s our duty to make sure this burgeoning sector is mobilised for the good of all people.”
He adds: “It is our goal to make sure sustainable floating cities are affordable and available to all coastal areas in need. They should not become a privilege of the rich.”
Communal farming, sharing culture, zero waste and fresh water autonomy (rainwater would be harvested and sea water desalinated) would also be defining features. Islands on the outer perimeters will be uninhabited to allow for agriculture, and to act as a buffer against high waves.
How would designers stop Oceanix cities drifting away? Each island would be secured to the bottom of the ocean with reef-like limestone “biorock” columns, formed by the electro-accumulation of minerals in seawater. Meanwhile, growing underneath would be seaweed, oysters, mussels, scallops and clams that could be farmed.
To ensure a sense of community, there will be public squares, markets and centers for spirituality, learning, health, sport and culture. In short, they’d be utopian. (That’s the dream, at least.)
“We must build cities for people, not cars. And we must build cities knowing that they will be on the frontlines of climate‑related risks — from rising sea levels to storms.
“Floating cities can be part of our new arsenal of tools. For example, because of climate change, cities are increasingly at risk of flooding. In Bangkok, the ground on which some parts of the city stands is sinking by around two centimetres every year, according to some estimates, while sea levels in the Gulf of Thailand are rising.
“In Lagos, the urban poor have responded to the lack of land and a growing population by living in floating villages on the outskirts of town. And in Singapore, land is so scarce that the city has, through land reclamation, expanded its size by almost a quarter since its independence in 1965.”
“Cities such as Seattle, Jakarta and Mexico City have made way for houseboats and floating markets for some time. The relationship of these communities with the water they live on highlights how water is integral to cities.
“A thriving city has a symbiotic relationship with its water. And as our climate and water ecosystems are changing, the way our cities relate to water needs to change, too.”