Status of floating city technology

Are we ready to build safe and cost-effective floating cities? We will need to know the answer, if Japan's proposal to build a floating airport/industrial center 60 miles out from Tokyo is to be evaluated, or if we wish to respond to the opportunities presented by the new Coastal Zone rights. In addition, architects and city planners are wondering if use of the ocean is a practical solution to over population problems in India and Japan. (And it seems that if the oil communities in the North Sea or the Gulf of Mexico get any more popular, they will need city planning.) This paper will investigate the current feasibility of two floating city configurations that have been proposed by two designers during the last 10 years, by comparing their requirements with existing technology, track records and costs; and comment on where research may be needed.