Nuwa. A concept of a million-person city on Mars
In February 2020, the Mars Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to human exploration of Mars, launched an international contest. Participants were challenged to develop a concept for a Martian city capable of supporting a population exceeding one million people with a fully developed infrastructure, including schools, shops, hospitals, and other essential facilities. According to the organizers' vision, this city must be self-sustaining, producing its own food, clothing, energy, transportation, and other goods to support its entire population.
The Sustainable Offworld Network (SONet), an academic consortium of experts from various countries working on alternative settlement concepts, proposed the Nuwa city concept.
A team of 35 individuals worked on the project for four months, developing a detailed plan for the city. Nuwa is envisioned as the capital city of a network of five smaller towns scattered across the Martian surface, each separated by several thousand kilometers. Travel between these cities would be facilitated by a Martian-equivalent light rail system.