Is floating architecture a viable solution for sustainable and affordable living on the water?

    Growing up I was on a swim team and became a lifeguard. Every time I've gone to the beach or a pool I'll spend 90% of my time in the water. I have always had a love for swimming, and am very interested in cheaper alternatives to living on the water. This research would motivate me to explore those alternatives, and learn about floating communities around the world. How do they operate? Could they be more affordable? With rising sea levels, would it allow costal cities to last longer than expected? Finding solutions to these questions could allow for more people who cannot afford to buy property near a beach/bayfront to learn how to create a completely self sustainable floating home literally on the water! Anyone interested in living on the water would be interested, especially if its a cheaper alternative than the typical expensive beach/bay home.

    I'd like to begin in Seattle Washington, where it all began in the United States. Here is a short timeline of houseboats there;

1882 - First floating homes are constructed by loggers and fishermen.

1930s - Real explosion of houseboat popularity due to the Great Depression.

1960s - City evicts 75% of houseboat residents.

1993 - Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie Sleepless in Seattle boosts popularity of houseboat community in Seattle.

2021 -  Now, the community has begun to morph into a upper class houseboat grab. There is a new gated area that a developer named Joel Blair has developed and is selling his slips at anywhere from 630,000 to 1.2 million each. Everything has been sold except one, because it has become nearly impossible for new houseboats to exist in the marina. This is due to, the city of Seattle "silently closing the window" for houseboats for a few reasons. 

1. There are more than anticipated.
2. It's become too difficult to verify the requirements for the city.
3. They probably think its an eyesore, and bad for the environment.

    According to Shawn Griggs, a maritime lawyer, the new zoning laws "unnecessarily cut off remaining houseboats and made it nearly impossibly for them to qualify for Floating-On-Water-Residence verification." According to the city, greywater is a big reason for slowing down the production of houseboats, but greywater is only water from showers and sinks (not toilets). The funny part about this is boats dispose of the same greywater every day with no regulation, and even when houseboats do have a containment system they do not get any elbow room from the city. 

    From what has been uncovered this is likely not the only community under threat by a city, and moving forward I'd like to look into more areas around the U.S. and globe that are facing similar issues. Eventually, I'd like to look into living in one for a short period of time, and documenting the experience there. It would also be interesting to look into how houseboats function, and how they can be engineered to become more sustainable for the environment.

Links to Sources;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pz2GL7gx_k

https://www.seattlemet.com/home-and-real-estate/2021/06/no-more-new-houseboats-in-seattle

https://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/seattle-segments/houseboats-in-seattle