Plans for world's first 'floating city'

The world's first floating city is set to appear in the Pacific Ocean off the island of Tahiti.

The government of French Polynesia has signed a deal with Seasteading Institute to begin construction work in just two years.
It may seem like an ambitious plan, by the group believes semi-independent cities would be the perfect place to try new modes of government and agricultural method.

The experimental floating landscapes could test new ideas on how to feed the hungry, cure the sick, clean the atmosphere and enrich the poor, for example.

French Polynesia, a collection of 118 islands in the southern Pacific, is interested in the project as the area is at risk from rising sea levels.

According to ABC, the government of the islands has signed a memorandum of understanding with the firm.

The deal specifies two points that the project must prove before it gets the green light; whether it will benefit the local economy and if it proves to be environmentally friendly.

Even if it proves these two points, the project may need to be approved by the local government, and possibly France, which holds the territory.

Randolph Hencken, executive director of the institute, said: 'What we're interested in is societal choice and having a location where we can try things that haven't been tried before.

'I don't think it will be that dramatically radical in the first renditions.

'We were looking for sheltered waters, we don't want to be out in the open ocean - it's technologically possible but economically outrageous to afford.

'If we can be behind a reef break, then we can design floating platforms that are sufficient for those waters at an affordable cost.

'We don't have to start from scratch as this is a pilot project.

'They also have very stable institutions so we're able to work with a government that wants us there, that we have respect for and they have respect for us.'

Draft legislation will be drawn up next year and construction is expected to begin in 2019.

Floating islands would feature aquaculture farms, healthcare, medical research facilities, and sustainable energy powerhouses.