TECH boffins have unveiled plans for a bizarre floating city likened to a real life Noah’s Ark.
The ocean-based metropolis would provide a “self-sufficient habitat” for 40,000 people, designers in Japan say.
The developers, N-Ark, even claim the zone – named Dogen City – would be resilient to an apocalypse. Measuring 4km in circumference, the plan would be for inhabitants to be able to get to any point in the zone within an hour.
A range of buildings, including a sports stadium, is proposed, and properties would be able to be moved by sailing them to another location. The infrastructure is circular in design to protect it from severe weather and consists of three infrastructure types.
These are a habitable ring containing the main habitable zones, an undersea data centre and medical research facilities, and flexible inner ring structures that can move freely in the inner bay. N-Ark’s development roadmap currently earmarks the year 2030 for completion, and designers see the city as a sea-based version of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
They explain: “New Ocean is a term intended for the ocean version of the private space business innovation ‘New Space’ started by Space X. We will propose six elements (medical, food, housing, information, and electrical services) to realise New Ocean, promote the entry of various companies, and promote ocean development activities. Through this, we aim to create maritime innovation, and seek to create this future together with participating companies, governments, and universities.”
It comes after it was revealed Africa is fast becoming home to the world’s first megalopolis with a horizon full of skyscrapers and a motorway set to span the length of five countries. The sprawling zone stretches almost 1,000km along Africa’s west coast – starting in Abidjan and ending in Lagos – and is set to house half a billion people within decades.
Africa is in the midst of a demographic revolution as its population continues to surge. More and more high-rise towers, offices, shopping complexes and hotels are popping up along the five countries’ coastlines, making the boundaries increasingly blurred.
The world is now watching on as the first-ever megalopolis evolves. And as its infrastructure keeps expanding, so will its population.
African Development Bank chiefs have already raised and earmarked a whopping £12.6 billion to create a new motorway along the Gulf of Guinea from Abidjan to Lagos. It will be up to six lanes wide and will be toll-gate free as drivers will have chips placed in their license plate, Lydie Ehouman, a transportation economist at the bank, told the Guardian.
The evolving megalopolis will see minor cities transformed into major ones as intrigued citizens migrate to the coastal region. According to experts, it could be at the forefront of an economic boom for the continent.
