Floating city with capacity of 40,000 people

Japan's Dogen Floating City has a circumference of 4 km, can accommodate 10,000 people and welcome 30,000 visitors per day.

Design of the floating city of Dogen. Photo: N-Ark

Japanese startup N-Ark recently announced plans to develop a floating metropolis and smart healthcare hub called Dogen City. The initiative will combine food production, architecture, data, energy, and the ocean in a symbiotic system that uses seawater as a new economic zone called the “New Ocean,” Design Boom reported on June 9.

The new economic zone will consist of three layers. The first layer is to create a self-contained, decentralized, climate-resilient city focused on promoting daily physical and mental self-care and offering a variety of programs. The second layer revolves around building underwater data infrastructure, helping to develop a maritime business model. Finally, N-Ark wants to use the water to create a new tourism industry connected to space, using the land as a launch and landing zone for rocket transportation services.

With a diameter of 1.58 km and a circumference of 4 km, the Dogen Floating City can accommodate about 10,000 residents and 30,000 daily visitors. They can enjoy various urban functions such as research and development laboratories, schools, warehouses, security centers, offices, food services, hospitals, parks, stadiums, telecommunications stations, and hotels.

The city consists of three zones. The residential belt provides housing and community space. With its boat-like shape, it protects the inner bay from natural disasters such as tsunamis. The underwater data center provides high-end services such as urban management, healthcare data analysis, and reduces energy consumption. Finally, the autonomous floating architecture can move freely within the bay, allowing for flexible changes in the urban configuration. With different zones, N-Ark hopes to create a self-sufficient coastal city.

Dogen City is notable for its advanced healthcare system. According to N-Ark, residents will receive daily medical consultations and health status analysis through devices, sensors, blood samples, and genome analysis for accurate assessment. In addition, the city will organize programs to educate residents and visitors about nutritious food as well as how to cope with earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis.