[OPINION] Floating Cities: Innovation of the future?

Floating Cities: Innovation of the future?

By: Xandra Zubiri

The effects of climate change are becoming an exponentially growing issue, bringing many changes to our lifestyles. The air we breathe, the water and food we drink, and the land on which we live are all impacted in one way or another by climate change. So what happens when all that disappears? What happens when the air becomes too polluted, and the seas overtake the land? Where will we go?

Floating cities. What are they? As the name suggests, it's a city that floats. To elucidate, this is still a working concept. Plenty of companies and designers are looking into the functions of floating cities, how they might work, who can live on them, and where to locate them. Floating cities may seem simple, but they could bring a multifaceted nature of conceptual innovations into reality.

The emerging prototypes of these floating cities could be the start of a new era, through industrial production and commercial business. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are addressed, communities are uplifted, homes are created for the impoverished, and cities such as New York, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Shanghai, are saved from the inevitable rise of sea levels. Architectural firms and architects such as Lucca Curci Architects, an Italian-based company, and the likes of Koen Olthuis’s Dutch company, WaterStudio.NR, are pioneering their way into this breakthrough industry.

Many of these prototypes and organizations claim to be sustainable, eco-friendly, and net-zero, using technology that backs those values. Resources and facilities we use every day even if unknowingly, will be recreated sustainably on these structures with fresh water being supplied through water harvesting, filtering, recycling, and distillation systems, renewable energy being sourced, closed loop zero waste systems that repurpose waste into energy, and one of a kind construction materials that encourage and maintain the integrity of marine ecosystems.

It seems almost unfeasible yet there are plans for these cities to begin development within the decade. This includes the likes of OCEANIX Busan, a floating city, set to be built off the coast of Busan in South Korea. OCEANIX Busan is currently just a prototype, but from what we do know, it’s set to take up 6 hectares of coastal waters and host twelve thousand residents upon completion. These prototypes of floating cities are popping up worldwide. They promote sustainability and innovation in response to the global climate crisis. With two in five people globally living under 100 kilometers from the coast, sea levels in the future are bound to submerge many major cities residing on the coastline. Floating cities provide a viable solution that could very well put an end to the issue. But at what cost?

Floating cities have a few limitations, space being one of the largest. These mass communities need to have enough area to function as a normal society would including space for residents, education, work opportunities, production, possibly agriculture, and various industries and necessities of the sort. The limited space infringes on the capabilities of the city, one example might be the reduction of space for vehicles due to wanting to create an eco-friendly environment that promotes clean transport. While this can be seen as a win, vehicles used for emergency services play a role in our everyday lives, and cutting them out entirely risks the safety and health of potential future residents.

Another challenge: construction. The construction of the infrastructure needed is a complex process that must be tailored to each location's situation and needs. Each unique site has factors to consider, such as climate risks, weather, vulnerability to natural disasters, ecosystems, and trade routes. And while cliché, the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day” will never fail to be applicable. Constructing these megastructures and inhabitable communities comes at the expense of the existing communities. Should the structures proceed with construction, local residents could be displaced due to the need for certain mainland areas, entire ecosystems could be destroyed if the builders aren’t ethical or considerate, and should the infrastructure fail to cope, what of the environment will go down with it?

Floating cities can have a significant impact on the environment. They can be a solution to climate change but also a destructive monument. In terms of protective factors, these establishments promote environmental sustainability through their use of renewable energy, and sustainable materials by incorporating expert input from marine biologists thus ensuring that it will best benefit all stakeholders involved. They can reduce the pressure put on marine and coastal ecosystems as the movement of populations to the surface of the sea means that vulnerable coastal ecosystems can instigate a natural rehabilitation process. As a bonus, these cities can be utilized as informative research and educational institutes to help improve marine research and conservation efforts and instill a better understanding of the environment and the protection it needs.

While there are protective benefits, there are still drawbacks to consider. As previously mentioned, construction could disrupt marine life and damage sensitive habitats, waste from the city when not handled properly could pollute surrounding waters, and any anchoring systems could pose potential threats to sea life. Alongside this, the quality and credibility of infrastructure will play a monumental role in the integrity of the cities as they need to be suitable for the environment in which they are located. Furthermore, the risk of pollution from systems used in the cities is high; the wastewater, stormwater runoff, and industrial waste will have to be accounted for as if not treated properly could affect the marine life around the cities. Finally, the impact on marine biodiversity may bring unprecedented consequences for marine life due to possibly invasive artificial structures that potentially attract invasive species, alter food webs, and catastrophically offset migration patterns.

Despite this, floating cities could be an innovative solution for the future. There are drawbacks alongside the positive impacts. Whilst it may not be the band-aid for climate change due to the presence of greenhouse gas emissions, there are systems in place to mitigate the emissions and save the environment. Of course, we don’t want the world to reach a stage where nothing is salvageable and everything is gone. But at this rate, the change we need isn’t happening fast enough. So in a futuristic fashion, we plan for the worst; we plan like it’s doomsday tomorrow - it very well could be.

To conclude, as climate change accelerates sea level rise, I believe floating cities are an emerging solution. These innovative structures offer the promise of sustainable, resilient communities adapted to a changing world. While challenges in construction, environmental impact, and resource management must be addressed, the potential benefits of preserving coastal ecosystems, providing housing, and fostering new forms of urban living make floating cities a compelling concept worthy of exploration and development.


Bibliography:

“Busan - Oceanix” OCEANIX, https://oceanix.com/busan/. Accessed 1 August 2024.

“UN-Habitat and partners unveil OCEANIX Busan, the world’s first prototype floating city” UN-Habitat, 27 April 2022, https://unhabitat.org/news/27-apr-2022/un-habitat-and-partners-unveil-oceanix-busan-the-worlds-first-prototype-floating. Accessed 1 August 2024.

Jen, David, “ ‘Floating City’ offers urban solution to rising sea levels” ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers, 4 January 2024, https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/article/2024/01/floating-city-offers-urban-solution-to-rising-sea-levels#:~:text=Floating%20City%2C%20which%20can%20expand,and%20Shanghai%2C%20according%20to%20LCA. Accessed 2 August 2024.

“MEET THE DUTCH COMPANY THAT DESIGNS FLOATING CITIES” AquaTech, 5 July 2022, https://www.aquatechtrade.com/news/urban-water/waterstudionl-floating-city-maldives Accessed 2 August 2024.