Skip to main content

As oceans rise, one company is building cities that can swim

Like it or not, the world is sinking. If the predictions play out, the rise in sea levels is going to make a big difference in communities around the world soon. Places like Wall Street, Miami, Shanghai, and Cape Cod could be completely underwater in less than a hundred years.

This month though, a bizarre but brilliant idea was introduced at the United Nations by an entrepreneur who hopes to save humanity by building floating cities that use smart technology, extreme recycling, and a futuristic plan to build floating islands that could be moored to the ocean floor.

Bless the late Dennis Hopper, but the architect Bjarke Ingels, who designed the project, said, “The idea that we are presenting here is not that we will all be living at sea in the future. It won’t be Waterworld.”

Oceanix

The idea is to build hexagonal floating islands about the size of three football fields to house something like 300 people and then link them to form self-sustaining communities. Hook a bunch of these floating islands together, with each having a communal purpose, and suddenly you have a village, which the creators say could eventually total some 10,000 residents.

“The idea that we are presenting here is not that we will all be living at sea in the future. It won’t be Waterworld.”

The concept comes from entrepreneur Mark Collins Chen, who was formerly the minister of tourism in his native French Polynesia, which is definitively on the list to sink in the next few decades. Last year, Chen formed a company called Oceanix to examine, theorize, and build off-shore urban infrastructures to help mankind weather the coming storm.

There are two big differences between Chen’s concept and plenty of other ideas for alternatives to land-based communities. The first is scalability: if Oceanix can make one island, the experiment could theoretically be re-created over and over again.

The second difference is that Chen’s concept includes a very clear plan to anchor these floating communities about a mile off the coast of major global cities. Specifically, Chen and Ingels want to use a material called biorock, which uses small bursts of electricity to stimulate the growth of limestone from ocean mineral deposits — a real-world concept that is not only ecologically friendly but is also currently used to foster the growth of coral reefs.

It’s admittedly a pretty Utopian vision, as you can see from the concept images. Ingels framed it like this in his comments: “Imagine a community port where you have a market down by the sea, where you can go in the evening and stroll and hang out, where you can move around on electrical nautical vehicles on this bazaar-like street along canals that connect and separate islands. The same configuration can be the canvas for any culture. What you’re designing is an urban social infrastructure.”

Oceanix

The other cool thing is that Chen and his team have pulled in a bunch of smart people to tackle the essential problems. This is basically Battlestar Galactica with the advantage of water. Food? Let’s grow it, using outdoor vertical farming combined with hydroponics and aeroponics and, of course, beans. Greywater recycling? check. Extreme water recycling including water desalination? check. Hydroponics, aeroponics, sustainable transportation, and a platform that can potentially withstand a nightmarishly violent hurricane? check. Pneumatic trash tubes to flush garbage to a sorting station to identify and repurpose stuff? check.

Big picture: it’s a pretty cool idea. When you zoom out, Oceanix envisions a central open port with each “island” featuring important areas to meet the need for healthcare, education, spirituality, exercise, culture, etc. If a place sinks, Chen’s idea gives people a place to go, whether it’s temporary or permanent.

“We’re not just theorizing. Everybody on the team actually wants to get this built.”

The idea was unveiled at the First UN High-level Roundtable on Sustainable Floating Cities, which while being kind of scary, was convened with Oceanix, MIT, the Explorers Club and UN-Habitat, a United Nations offshoot mandated to work on the problem of, you know, preventing cities from drowning and stuff.

Chen is bold in his predictions. “We’re not just theorizing. Everybody on the team actually wants to get this built.” To that end, the first step would be producing a prototype of this artificial island located on New York’s East River.

There’s been some concern that some of these enterprises are attempting to create refuges only for those who can afford it, but Chen says that’s not the goal of this initiative.

“It is our goal to make sure sustainable floating cities are affordable and available to all coastal areas in need,” Chen said. “They should not become a privilege of the rich.”

While the science-fictional concept was introduced at the United Nations, the organization hasn’t formally adopted or endorsed the proposal. However, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Habitat Victor Kisob said, “All solutions must be considered in how we build cities. It’s our duty to make sure this burgeoning sector is mobilized for the good of all people.”

Editors' Recommendations

Clayton Moore
Clayton Moore’s interest in technology is deeply rooted in the work of writers like Warren Ellis, Cory Doctorow and Neal…
The best robot vacuums for 2023
A robot vacuum by Eufy that offers home mapping and 2,000 Pa suction.

Robot vacuums are the perfect way to automate your floor-cleaning needs. Not only do the best robot vacuums pick up dust and debris littering your home, but many also function as mops -- allowing them to clean all types of surfaces without any manual input.

Depending on your budget, you’ll also benefit from charging stations that can hold several weeks of dust before needing to be emptied, automatic water changes for mops, and self-cleaning functionality. The best robot vacuums make it easy to forget they exist. After letting them map your home, they’ll be able to go weeks without any manual input. And whether you’re living in a massive house or tiny studio, they’re a great way to free up your schedule.

Read more
Usually $300, this Roomba robot vacuum is discounted to $189 today
iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum.

It's not always easy to know how to choose a robot vacuum, especially since there are expensive models that cost nearly $1,000. Luckily, we've spotted a pretty great deal on the iRobot Roomba 692, an entry-level robot vacuum that's great if you want to dip your toes without spending a ton of money. With this deal from Amazon, you can get the Roomba 692 for $189, rather than the usual $300, which is an impressive 37% discount.

Why you should buy the iRobot Roomba 692
Even though the Roomba 692 is an entry-level device, that doesn't mean it isn't packed with features, such as the 3-stage cleaning system that makes sure there's no leftover dust or dirt wherever the Roomba passes. It also has multi-surface brushes for both carpets and hard floors, so you don't have to worry about it not being able to handle carpets, which can be a legitimate issue with other budget robot vacuums. It also manages to clean corners with its special brushes, so you don't have to worry about missing out on certain spots. We also appreciate that it can handle pet hair, so if you have pets, the Roomba 692 will get that shed hair without issue, making it one of the better budget-friendly Roomba deals.

Read more
This smart sous vide cooker is $200 off in 1-day flash sale
anova wifi precision cooker pro deal best buy september 2023 sous vide

For today only, you can buy an Anova Wifi Precision Cooker Pro for a massive $200 off the regular price at Best Buy. It normally costs $400 but for the next few hours, it's down to $200 which makes it very tempting for those who love to cook. This is one of Best Buy's deals of the day which means when the day ends, the offer ends so you really only have a handful of hours to take advantage of this deal. Here's what you need to know about it before you go for it.

Why you should buy the Anova Wifi Precision Cooker Pro
The best sous vide machines truly revolutionize how you prepare food. By placing vacuum-bag-sealed foods in a pot of water, you really do get great results despite how unconventional it may sound. With the Anova Wifi Precision Cooker Pro, you get 1200W of power along with a flow rate of 12L per minute, and the ability to precisely heat 100L of water.

Read more