Not long ago, the concept of a floating metropolis was the material of science fiction. Today, the world’s first floating cities are set to rise from the waters of the port city of Busan in South Korea and the Maldives archipelago, where rising sea levels pose an existential threat to the low-lying island nation.
As this emerging industry gains momentum, the benefits of floating infrastructure are increasingly being recognized. For the first time, floating urban development was included in an IPCC report this year. The city of Rotterdam, Netherlands, where the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is headquartered in the world’s largest floating office, is highlighted in the report for its expanding floating housing market and its floating pavilion, which is cited as a model of transformative urban adaptation.
Moreover, with more than half of the planet covered in water, there’s plenty of space to expand.
Ninety-five experts, entrepreneurs, researchers and participants from around the world explored these benefits at the Knowledge Exchange on floating development organized by GCA’s Water and Adaptation Community (WAC).
Below are five reasons why experts agree that floating development is a promising adaptation and environmental solution – and likely here to stay.