Dogan City: Floating Metropolis

Dogan City: A Floating Metropolis

• Anarch, a Japanese startup, proposes Dogan City, a floating, self-sufficient metropolis.
• Dogan City aims to establish a new economic zone resistant to climate change, offering unlimited potential.
• The proposal includes sea farms, climate refugee housing, and a solution to urban overpopulation.

Land Reclamation Alternatives

• Land reclamation involves creating new land by filling water bodies with rock, sand, and clay for construction purposes.
• Although used for centuries, its sustainability is questionable.
• Rising sea levels are driving the need for innovative construction methods.
• Floating developments are presented as a substitute for traditional land reclamation.

Existing Floating Developments

• Floating developments have historical precedents.
• Examples include the floating Uros islands on Lake Titicaca in Peru, floating villages in Cambodia, and floating river homes.
• Floating offshore platforms, similar to oil rigs, can serve as small-scale towns.
• The United Nations is backing a South Korean initiative to construct floating platforms near Busan.
• Oxagon, a floating industrial city in Saudi Arabia, is part of the Neom mega-development project.

Dogan City Details

• Dogan City's dimensions include a 1.58-kilometer diameter and a four-kilometer circumference.
• The city will cover a total area of 390 acres.
• The first module is intended to accommodate 40,000 residents.
• It is designed as a fully self-contained city with a community-focused atmosphere.
• Public housing, medical research centers, and food production facilities will be integrated into the circular design.
• Spacecraft launch sites will be part of the city.
• Floating structures within the bay can be adapted according to evolving needs.
• The outer ring serves as a tsunami barrier, safeguarding inner floating developments.
• The entire structure's weight in the water provides stability, akin to a wind turbine or oil rig.

Addressing Global Challenges

• Dogan City represents a tech-focused blueprint for a floating utopia.
• It seeks to address climate refugee crises, affordable housing shortages, and food scarcity.
• A land shortage equivalent to the size of North America is projected by 2050 if current food production practices continue.
• Dogan City has the potential to produce nearly 7,000 tons of food annually.
• The city will employ cultivation methods that utilize seawater as a nutrient source for plant growth.

Financial Aspects and Profitability

• Significant financial investment is required for the construction and upkeep of Dogan City.
• Yuki is shifting focus towards developing a viable business model, moving away from traditional construction.
• Data-driven businesses, like Tesla, Apple, and Microsoft, are considered more profitable compared to construction.
• Dogan City is being promoted as a destination for medical tourism.
• The city's medical facilities will feature robot-assisted surgeries and AI-powered health monitoring.

Healthcare and Data Centers

• Dogan City's healthcare services will be managed remotely.
• Subsea edge data centers will be integrated.
• Data centers are projected to consume 20% of global electricity by 2025.
• Underwater placement of data centers can reduce the temperature and costs associated with cooling systems.

Current Status and Future Plans

• Active construction plans for Dogan City are not yet in place.
• The precise cost estimate is currently unavailable.
• The primary objective is to further refine the concept, creating a framework that can be applied to other regions.
• The initial focus is on areas disproportionately affected by climate-related displacement.

Floating Cities as an Emerging Industry

• Floating cities are becoming a recognized industry.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change included floating urban developments in its latest report.
• Cities facing threats from rising sea levels include the Maldives, New York, Miami, Shanghai, and Bangkok.
• Sand shortages are impacting land reclamation efforts.
• Cities urgently require additional affordable housing solutions.
• Existing cities will only accommodate 40% of the global population by 2050.

Conclusion

• Dogan City stimulates thinking about better construction methods during a time of critical need for change.
• Climate change is driving the need to reinvent construction practices.
• Science fiction concepts, such as Dogan City, have the potential to become reality.