Faced with worsening floods and a shortage of housing, the Netherlands is seeing growing interest in floating homes. These floating housing communities are inspiring more ambitious Dutch-led projects in flood-prone nations, from French Polynesia to the Maldives. When a heavy storm hit last October, residents of a floating community in Amsterdam had little doubt they could ride it out. They tied up their bikes and outdoor benches, checked in with neighbours to ensure everyone had enough food and water, and hunkered down as their neighbourhood slid up and down its steel foundational pillars, rising along with the water and descending to its original position after the rain subsided. As sea levels rise and supercharged storms also cause waters to swell, floating neighbourhoods offer an experiment in flood defence that could allow coastal communities to better withstand climate change. In the land-scarce but densely populated Netherlands, demand for such homes is growing. And, as more people look to build on the water there, officials are working to update zoning laws to make the construction of floating homes easier. “The municipality wants to expand the concept of floating homes because it is multifunctional use of space for housing and because the sustainable […]
