So having what may very well be the very first Martian city concept laid down before our eyes comes as no surprise. What is surprising is that it doesn’t come from Musk, but from an architectural firm called ABIBOO.
The city they dreamed up is called Nuwa. That’s the name of the mother goddess in Chinese mythology, the one responsible for the creation of humans.
The site chosen for this place is something called Tempe Mensa. We were unable to find details on where exactly that is, but for the record that could be anywhere, because mensa in planetary geology stands for a flat-topped prominence with cliff-like edges – and there are plenty of those on Mars.
Why cliff-like edges? Because Nuwa is to be built inside the rocks, as a means to protect it from radiation, meteorites, and the direct light of the Sun.
As with any city, this one too would have residential and work areas (called macro-buildings), natural spaces nicknamed Green Domes, and even agricultural areas.
In theory, Nuwa should be capable of supporting a population of around 250,000 people, but it may not be the only human dwelling on the planet. ABIBOO envisions a network of five human settlements that include Abalos City at the North Pole, and Marineris City in Valles Marineris, “the most extensive canyon of the solar system” as the architecture firm says.
These Mars cities are not, at least in the beginning, envisioned as independent colonies, but still reliant on Earth. A regular shuttle service should connect the two planets, and a ticket on one of those should cost $300K.
That covers “a one-way trip, one residential unit of ~25-35 m2/person, full access to common facilities, all life support services & food, and a binding work contract to devote between 60% and 80% of their work time to tasks assigned by the city.”