According to a NASA report, sea levels will rise by four feet by the year 2021, which means humankind needs to adapt and look for alternative ways of living. It has also been reported that 90% of the world’s largest cities including Miami, Shanghai, and Alexandria, among others, are threatened by rising sea levels. These environment catastrophes are the premise for Luca Curci’s out-of-the-box proposal for a vertical city.

The Italian architect presented the concept of integrated, self-sustainable towers on water in the afternoon session on day one of the sixth Knowledge Summit, organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) on November 19-20, 2019, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

“We are three times the sustainable number of people on earth and in about 12 years, there will be two billion more people, but our cities not ready for that. We propose a vertical city built on water, which can house 25,000 people. The city will have a zero-waste policy and use renewable resources such as solar panels, wind and water turbines to produce energy. The city also includes integrated food production and farming, thereby offering a healthier lifestyle connected with elements of nature,” Curci stated.

Curci’s vertical cities are a modular interpretation of the idea of contemporary cities that have no suburbs. He aims to make them affordable where farming is integrated with social space, enabling communities to produce their own food. He also proposes such living will alleviate poverty and create smart and efficient living spaces.

“Unlike modern-day skyscrapers, these towers will be completely ventilated by integrating a lot of natural elements such as wind, light and water. These are not like apartments or duplexes but more like villas at different levels. The vertical city will be connected with other cities by water, land and air,” he added.

He emphasised on making cities more suitable for human interactions, which is a key element of the vertical city design.

“The urban sprawl has created many problems; traffic and pollution are some of the issues city-dwellers face on a daily basis. Vertical cities eliminate such issues and create solutions that help us thrive,” he concluded.

Organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) under directives from MBRF Chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the 2019 Knowledge Summit – held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from November 19-20 – bears the theme ‘Knowledge for Sustainable Development’, and is set to showcase relevant experiences and best practices that have helped countries on their development journey in various sectors.