The World’s Next Major Cities Could Be Floating on Water
Funded by PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, the Seasteading Institute is attempting to partner with coastal countries in order to use their shallow waters to build floating cities.
The designers selected concrete as a base for its price and durability (each floating block is projected to last for over a century). The platforms would include apartments, offices, and hotels, and no building would be taller than three stories. One fifth of the area in each metropolis would be strictly reserved as green space for residents, and the designers plan to use renewable energy, such as solar panels, to run the island’s electricity grid and electric boats for transportation. The cost for each city would be approximately $167 million.
The Seasteading Institute believes its floating cities could provide tourism opportunities, and help provide water and energy to the host nation that opens up its waters to them. The organization predicts that the world’s first floating city could be established by 2020.
