Floating Cities of the Past and Future
Or
The threat of climate change is looming before us. Sea level rise concerns over 410 million people at risk of losing their livelihoods. Coastal cities are choked with high-rise buildings and traffic-laden roads, consuming land insufficiently. Synthesizing these problems, architects across the world have proposed a potential answer - floating cities. A future of living on water seems like a radical shift from how people live, work, and play. Vernacular precedents prove otherwise, offering inspiration for what our cities could morph into. As world leaders discuss courses of action to tackle climate change at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, ArchDaily dives into the concept of radical water-based settlements.
+ 1
According to the standard civilization narrative, the first human settlements flourished in the vicinity of water bodies - rivers, lakes, wetlands, and seas. Nomads required water for drinking and hunting, and agricultural communities for farming as well. Land was also most fertile where it could easily be nourished by a water source. As a result, humans established themselves at the intersection of land and sea, building and growing their settlements in either direction. Kampong Ayer in Brunei, Makoko in Lagos, Ganvie in Benin, and the Mesopotamian Marshes provide a peek into a lifestyle of living amidst water. They provide a starting point for imagining how our lives would be shaped by new offshore settlements.
A more contemporary idea of marine cities began to emerge in the 1960s with Buckminster Fullers Triton City and Kenzo Tanges Tokyo Bay Plan. These utopian projects developed on existing ideas of water architecture - proposing modern amenities, advanced mobility networks, and ordered growth in addition. Vernacularly built water-based architecture usually comprised tectonics like stilt houses, and more recently, buoyant frameworks made of hollow plastic elements. Idealistic structures proffered in the modernist era featured buoyant structures made of steel and explored new methodologies of keeping buildings afloat.
With advancements in technology comes innovation. In the 21st century, architects and the public have started to take the idea of aquatic cities more seriously. The most famous design at the moment is starchitect Bjarke Ingles Oceanix City, developed in partnership with UN-Habitat and blue tech firm OCEANIX. The vision for the worlds first prototype sustainable city on water will be situated in Busan, South Korea, an important maritime city in the region. The island-like colony would be anchored to the sea floor by biorock that would harbor artificial coral reefs. Food would be grown on floating farms and via aquaculture, and drinking water would be obtained from desalinated seawater. Oceanix in its early conceptual stages promises potential.
Similar high-tech concepts have been showcased in Vincent Callebaut's Lilypad, the Seasteading Institute, and Phil Pauleys Sub-Biosphere 2. Already ahead of these visions is a state-of-the-art floating residential development in Amsterdam. Given the Netherlands eco-consciousness, the project titled Waterbuurt successfully tackles the low-lying countrys imminent threat of sea-level rise. In Lagos, a new coastal city is being developed via land reclamation, similar to projects along the UAEs shore.
While visible environmental damage has urged for a conversation around floating cities, skepticism still remains. Questions about feasibility, cost, and expertise in building offshore infrastructure concern stakeholders. Political ideas around jurisdiction and ownership would require reconsideration. These expensive projects might only be accessible and affordable to certain sections of society. Environmentalists have also severely criticized land reclamation projects for disrupting ocean ecosystems and risking floods.
The future of urban living may closely mimic its lesser-known past. In times of uncertainty, case studies of traditional architecture and systems of indigenous cultures can provide learning opportunities. Amphibious communities shared their resources, and concepts of ownership were majorly absent. Water was viewed as commons and the ecosystem as part of themselves. Settlements were built to co-exist with the established patterns of nature, contributing as much as they extracted from the environment. Semi-permanent structures - since they are not anchored into the earth - grew and shrank organically as per the needs of the community.
According to The Institute for Economics and Peace, more than 1 billion people will be located in areas of insufficient infrastructure to withstand sea-level rise by 2050. At this rate, it would take over 9,000 Oceanix cities to relocate climate refugees. Floating cities are not a single solution to sea-level rise and climate change, but might be an impactful step toward remediation. This shift will call for a reevaluation of living patterns, legal structures, and man-made ecosystems. A new frontier of aquatic lifestyles seems hopeful.
Visit link:
Floating Cities of the Past and Future | ArchDaily
- Ephemerisle: The First Step in Seasteading or Just a Party? [Last Updated On: March 26th, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 26th, 2016]
- Seasteading - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre [Last Updated On: March 26th, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 26th, 2016]
- Patri Friedman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2016]
- Patri's World [Last Updated On: June 10th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 10th, 2016]
- Patri's World [Last Updated On: June 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 12th, 2016]
- Seasteading - RationalWiki [Last Updated On: June 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 12th, 2016]
- Seasteading Wikipedia [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2016]
- Seasteading - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2016]
- The Problem with Seasteading | Bottom-up [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2016]
- The Seasteading Institute Discussion Forum [Last Updated On: June 26th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 26th, 2016]
- PayPal Founder Peter Thiel Continues to Tout Anti-Government ... [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2016]
- User:Vincecate - Seasteading [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2016]
- Seastead - Seasteading [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2016]
- Seasteading | Online Only | n+1 [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2016]
- The Problem with Seasteading | Bottom-up [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2016]
- FAQ | The Seasteading Institute [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2016]
- FAQ | The Seasteading Institute [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2016]
- Seasteading Institute aims to build floating city by 2020 [Last Updated On: August 10th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 10th, 2016]
- Live Free or Drown: Floating Utopias on the Cheap | WIRED [Last Updated On: September 3rd, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 3rd, 2016]
- Tyler Cowen: Ahoy, young libertarian! Seasteading could ... [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2016]
- Architectural Design Contest | The Seasteading Institute [Last Updated On: January 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: January 27th, 2017]
- Seasteading | Book by Joe Quirk, Patri Friedman | Official ... [Last Updated On: January 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: January 31st, 2017]
- Could Floating Cities Help Us Adapt to Climate Change? - Triple Pundit (registration) (blog) [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- French Polynesia signs agreement for Floating Island Project - Bizcommunity.com [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Rethinking 21st Century needs - Newsday [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Why French Polynesia Could Have the World's First Floating City - Architectural Digest [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- 'Logan' proves Wolverine is the most libertarian superhero ever - Red Alert Politics [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2017]
- This Shipping Route Map Shows Why Floating Cities May Make Sense - Inverse [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2017]
- Imagine a Silicon Valley of the Sea - Bloomberg [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- Floating countries of the future - this could be your new home - ABC Online [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- Faced with rising seas, French Polynesia ponders floating islands - The Guam Daily Post (press release) (registration) [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2017]
- Editor's Insight: Money-losing ethics, seasteading, Mansfield and more - The National Business Review [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2017]
- 6 Examples Of Billionaires Acting Like Supervillains - Benzinga [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2017]
- Real Utopia: The World's First Floating City May Be Built in the Pacific - Sputnik International [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- A floating techno-libertarian city might be coming to the Pacific - Mashable [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- New nature books ready for spring | Sports Columns | register ... - Beckley Register-Herald [Last Updated On: May 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 7th, 2017]
- Facebook and Google greed will lead us to information armageddon - NEWS.com.au [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- Facebook, Google greed will lead us to info armageddon - The Reporter [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- Seasteading - bitcointalk.org [Last Updated On: May 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 22nd, 2017]
- Seasteading by Joe Quirk on iBooks - itunes.apple.com [Last Updated On: May 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 22nd, 2017]
- Floating island off Tahiti aims to be eco-friendly - Radio New Zealand [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Floating island off Tahiti won't harm says environmentalist - Radio New Zealand [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Libertarians Seek a Home on the High Seas - New Republic [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- How to build your own country - CNN [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- As sea levels rise, are floating cities the future? - Yale Climate Connections [Last Updated On: June 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 8th, 2017]
- ZenCash's Robert Viglione Talks Borderless Cryptocurrency and More - Finance Magnates [Last Updated On: June 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 24th, 2017]
- Living on Earth: PRI's Environmental News Magazine [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2017]
- Who is Peter Thiel? | Radio New Zealand News - Radio New Zealand [Last Updated On: June 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 29th, 2017]
- Jetsons in reality soon? A city in Earth orbit may not be too far away in future - Financial Express [Last Updated On: July 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 8th, 2017]
- The 'seasteading' movement imagines floating cities in the sea - PRI [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- The 'seasteading' movement imagines floating cities in the sea - WBFO [Last Updated On: July 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 10th, 2017]
- Floating City: Will Rising Sea Levels Force People To Move Into Ocean Homes? - International Business Times [Last Updated On: July 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 11th, 2017]
- Auditor-General won't be investigating Peter Thiel's NZ citizenship - The National Business Review [Last Updated On: July 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 17th, 2017]
- Auditor-General won't investigate Thiel citizenship - Otago Daily Times [Last Updated On: July 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 18th, 2017]
- What does a boat party have to do with reinventing government? Find out at Ephemerisle - Sacramento Bee [Last Updated On: July 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 23rd, 2017]
- The Seasteading Institute's floating cities are designed for unregulated innovation - Dezeen [Last Updated On: July 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 24th, 2017]
- "Unregulated scientific innovation on an isolated island? Sounds like a very bad thing" - Dezeen [Last Updated On: July 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 26th, 2017]
- Floating City Project Wants To Make A "Deregulated" Hub Of Scientific Research - IFLScience [Last Updated On: July 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 28th, 2017]
- Peter Thiel - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: July 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 28th, 2017]
- The Seasteading Institute - Home | Facebook [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2017]
- Future ahoy: Are you ready to live in a floating city? - San Francisco Chronicle [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2019]
- Seasteading | Ocean Builders [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- John Bolton's explosive new book, COVID-19 spikes in these three states and meet Kim Jong Un's enforcer - NBC News [Last Updated On: June 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 24th, 2020]
- Seasteading a vanity project for the rich or the future of humanity? - The Guardian [Last Updated On: June 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 24th, 2020]
- Ephemerisle is Burning Man on boats in the Sacramento River Delta - San Francisco Chronicle [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- The aftermath of Palantir's culture-war IPO - Quartz [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2020]
- How Do We Regain Trust in Institutions? - The New York Times [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]
- 9 Breathtaking City Concepts That Could Be Your Future ... [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Ocean colonization - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- This is why the Thai navy busted a seasteading American [Last Updated On: June 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 2nd, 2021]
- Floating Island Project | The Seasteading Institute [Last Updated On: June 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 2nd, 2021]
- Seasteading: How Floating Nations Will Restore the ... [Last Updated On: June 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 13th, 2021]
- Active Projects | The Seasteading Institute [Last Updated On: June 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 13th, 2021]
- Beyond the culture wars - New Statesman [Last Updated On: September 4th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 4th, 2021]
- First Thing: DoJ vows to protect women seeking abortions in Texas - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 10th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 10th, 2021]
- The story of the first "cryptocoin cruise ship" is exactly as weird and dumb as all those words imply - The A.V. Club [Last Updated On: September 10th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 10th, 2021]
- So You Want to Be an Architect? - Sierra Magazine [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2021]
- Five Doomed Attempts at Planetary Colonization - tor.com [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2021]
- Asgardia: What the first space nation in human history wants to create - Market Research Telecast [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2021]
- Discover the hilariously epic failure of a crypto-fueled libertarian cruise - Boing Boing [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2021]