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As Sea Levels Rise, Dutch See Floating Cities

Floating CityDelft University of Technology A Dutch design firm imagines floating cities as a response to climate change.

The Dutch have long been known for innovative ways of managing water in flood-prone regions.

So perhaps it is not surprising that designers in the Netherlands are envisioning floating cities that would make parts of low-lying nations habitable amid dramatically rising sea levels and storm surges linked to climate change.

“Floating development cannot solve all issues, but it can be a means of expanding the spectrum of possible solutions,” said Rutger de Graaf, a founding partner of DeltaSync, a Delft-based design and research company that specializes in floating urbanization and that was spun-off from the Delft University of Technology.

Mr. de Graaf said floating buildings would rise as the sea level rises, making them particularly suited to flooded population centers.

Under DeltaSync’s plan for a floating city, large blocks of polystyrene foam connected by a frame of special, high-strength concrete would be used as floating devices, allowing the cities to be located in shallow waters. Dome-like structures would be linked to one another by floating pedestrian bridges.

A floating highway would connect with existing cities.

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