The city of Nuva is proposed to be built from tunnels deep in the Martian rock.
In February 2020, The Mars Society, an organization dedicated to human exploration of the Red Planet, launched an international competition. The participants were asked to create a concept of a Martian city, the population of which could exceed a million people, with a developed infrastructure - schools, shops, hospitals and other facilities. According to the plan of the organizers, this city should support itself on its own: produce food, clothing, electricity, cars and other necessary goods for the entire population.
175 teams from over a dozen countries submitted applications. The Sustainable Offworld Network (SONet), a multi-national academic team dedicated to the development of alternative settlements, has proposed a city concept called Nüwa.
According to the concept, the Martian city of Nuva consists of tunnels cut into the rock up to 150 meters deep. They are proposed to accommodate residential and work areas, as well as city gardens and green domes. As in modern urban gardens, there will be plants, animals and even small bodies of water inside.
The city could be located 2250 km from extinct volcanoes, not far from the planet's equator.
35 people worked on the concept for four months. Nuva is regarded as the capital of five small cities located all over Mars. The cities will be separated by a couple of thousand kilometers, and it will be possible to move between them using the Martian equivalent of light rail.
“We thought about how to provide a comfortable psychological environment for a happy and prosperous life? How can you create a great experience for a community living in a rather harsh environment? " said Alfred Muñoz, Architect and Urban Designer at ABIBOO Studio, which sits on the board of SONet.
According to the concept, by the end of the first ten years of construction, which will be technically and resource-provided from the Earth, about 10 thousand people will be able to live in the city.
A one-way ticket to Mars for the colonists will cost $ 300,000. This price also includes housing with an area of 25 square meters. The first humans on Mars will have to join the construction work. It is expected that by the 50th anniversary of Nuva will be able to become large enough and independent city to become an independent state from the Earth.
“It seems possible that we could start the project by 2054 and finish by the end of the century, if we have the necessary financial resources and will,” said Alfred Muñoz.
In the near future, it is planned to create a series of Nuva demonstration objects on Earth to test the concept and technological solutions.