A worldwide mapping of the technical potential for floating urban development offshore

Land scarcity, population growth, climate change adaptation, sustainability development goals, and disaster mitigation in coastal cities are some of the main factors motivating research on large floating solutions for urban needs. For three decades, conceptual and fundamental studies have explored the field of large floating solutions from various technological perspectives, providing mainly proof-of-concept for this novel approach. However, little is currently known about the actual potential and the scale of implementation for urban development offshore. Using a parametric worldwide GIS model, this research evaluates the concept of modular floating structures (MFS), designed for sustainable offshore urban development, on a global scale. It shows that MFS technology could potentially house up to one third of the current global population in the adjacent marine environment of coastal cities, providing a sustainable alternative to alleviate the pressure of onshore development and its associated impacts using only 0.05% of ocean space.