This Floating Village in Amsterdam Could Help Tackle City-Density and Sea-Level Challenges

By Victoria Masterson

• Living on water is a reality for more than 100 people in Amsterdam’s Schoonschip neighborhood.
• It has 46 sustainable homes across 30 water plots.
• Population density and climate change is increasing interest in alternative accommodation options, including opening up underground spaces.

With cities running out of space and rising sea levels predicted to put 800 million city dwellers at risk by 2050, more of us may have to get used to living on water.

One nation adapting to this challenge is the Netherlands, where more than a quarter of the country already lies below sea level.

In Amsterdam, the capital city, residents and architects have created a visionary floating neighborhood called Schoonschip — Dutch for “clean ship.”