Imagine a city which literally floats on the ocean, no land beneath it. Completely autonomous, able to look after all it’s basic needs. That’s what the non profit think tank at the US based The Seasteading Institute wants to make a reality.

They even signed a memorandum of understanding with the French Polynesian government to begin construction work on the floating city in 2019. The institute has spent the last five years trying to fugure out how to build permanent, innovative communities floating at sea. They are looking at the sheltered waters near the 118 Islands of the French Polynesia as the location.

They have plans for the floating city to be replicated all over the world’s oceans once the first science project is a success. The cities will have their own special governing framework, creating an innovative special economic zone. It’s technologically possible, but the financial backing required to create this city will be considerable.

Here the institute hopes that the residents and innovative entrepreneurs will be free to operate their own lives and businesses. The executive director of The Seasteading Institute, Randolf Hencken said that they were interested in a societal choice and having a location where they could try things that had not been tried before. Should such a floating city exist, would you be willing to give up terra firma and live on it?