Floating life overcomes the major challenges we see for the future. Challenges like depletion of nutrients and land becoming scarce because water recovers land, population is growing and the need of more agricultural land to feed the growing population. In order to be ready for the future, we need to make progressive decisions to innovate towards a better future.

Today’s way of living commands a large supply of nutrients and raw materials. Depletion of nutrients and raw materials is close by, and can be overcome by recovering these elements from wastewater. Closed cycles optimize the recovery of nutrients and raw materials. Decentralized (closed) cycles have proven their effectiveness on the small scale. Now is the time to deploy decentralized cycles on a large scale.

Besides the recovery of elements, decentralized (water)cycles will enable mobile sanitation and drinking water facilities and hospitals to use on normal bases or in times of a calamity. Floating life with decentralized modules stands for flexible urban mapping, where facilities can be moved to the place most needed. With no need to destruct, facilities will be durable.

Scarcity of land leads to conflicts and people living in dangerous places, unprotected for floodings or mudslides, and therefore it leads to loss of lives. Floating life no longer demands land. Cities can be expanded over water (most cities are situated near water) and even whole cities can exist without nearby land. Floating cities rise and fall with the water and are thereby protected against floodings. We can even use the energy of the waves and tides to produce energy. We see water as a friendly and safe living environment.

We share our dream during the International Water Week (IWW), 4-8th November 2013 in Amsterdam, as part of the Young Water Professionals Program. We hope many people share our dream, so we can make it reality. We Dare to Dream; Do you Dare to Realize our Dream?

If you’re interested in this topic, but not able to meet us at the IWW, please send an email to: evelien.van.der.heijden@waternet.nl

WAUW+ is an initiative by young engineers of Waternet and Tauw and is sponsored by PWN.