Cities Living with Water Vol.6

OCI Office
Nov 9
2 min read

〜Laying the Groundwork for the Future: From OCI's Perspective〜

The international research project “Floating Future,” currently underway in the Netherlands, explores a new urban paradigm of “living with water” to address challenges facing modern society such as sea level rise, flooding, and land scarcity. Participating universities, research institutions, companies, and civic groups from across Europe are advancing collaborative research that transcends technology alone, encompassing social systems, the environment, and culture.

From Asia, Japan's Shimizu Corporation is the sole participating company. The company is providing its own technology while collaborating with a Dutch research team to examine the safety of floating structures and approaches to urban design.

Such international collaboration holds significant meaning for Japan, as a maritime nation, to keep pace with global developments and envision a future where we live with water. We view this trend not merely as overseas research, but as an experiment demonstrating the direction for future society.

Project Seatopia, OCI's vision for a “multi-purpose” and “mobile floating base,” aims to create an integrated marine infrastructure for disaster response, international exchange, and environmental restoration. This aligns with Floating Future's pursuit of “research to embed floating technology in society” while also representing a path to leverage Japan's unique experience and wisdom.

For example, just as the Netherlands is developing floating cities to prepare for floods and rising sea levels, Japan must also consider floating bases to coexist with earthquakes and tsunamis.

OCI envisions a “multi-purpose maritime city” that functions as a hub for relief, medical care, and communications during disasters, and as a venue for research, education, and cultural exchange in peacetime. This concept builds upon the achievements of Floating Future, laying the groundwork for creating an “Asian maritime society model” rooted in Japan's climate, society, and culture.

Furthermore, the “citizen participation” and “social acceptability” emphasized by Floating Future are also essential to OCI's goal of “realizing a civilization that lives with water.” The development of ocean cities is supported not only by technology but also by public understanding and empathy. In this sense, OCI aims to build a “foundation for society to live with the sea” by collaborating with domestic government agencies, academic institutions, businesses, and local communities, while incorporating international insights and partnerships.

As the world looks to the oceans for new hope, the time has come for Japan to share its own unique vision. Just as the Netherlands' Floating Future envisions the future from the North Sea, OCI will open the door to a new era of “Ocean Civilization Creation,” with the Pacific islands and the Japanese archipelago as its stage.