‘Next Tokyo 2045’ is, according to its architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, “an exercise in sustainable big-thinking for the future. It is the imagining [of] a resurgent mega-city adapted to climate change with the realization of a high-density eco-district built on resilient infrastructure.”
Generated in 2015 in response to a growing realization that the world’s coastal cities in particular need to address the implications of rising sea levels and more frequent seismic and extreme-weather phenomena, the ambitious—but theoretically achievable—concept imagines the creation of a new 4.8-square-mile floating district in Tokyo Bay. A series of hexagonal islands would provide green spaces and, crucially, protection to Upper Tokyo Bay from typhoons and tidal surges, while a literally mile-high tower would provide spectacular homes for 500,000 residents, as well as retail and commercial destinations across four “sky lobbies”.
Given the enduring appeal—and price premium—of waterfront living around the world, turning coastal defenses into hyper-stylish and desirable destinations may be a canny way to avoid drowning in the costs of necessary new infrastructures.
Estimated cost: unknown
Expected completion date: 2045
Distance from Conrad Tokyo: 20 minutes by cab
