Saving the World’s Fastest Sinking Capital, Tesla vs. Waymo, Wall Street South, Korea’s Old High-Rises

Explore our latest coverage of the major projects and trends shaping our urban future.

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The Plan to Save (and Abandon) the World’s Fastest Sinking Capital

Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital and home to more than 11 million people, is sinking faster than almost any other city. This phenomenon, known as subsidence, occurs when the ground sinks—often from human activities like groundwater extraction or natural soil compaction. Combined with rising sea levels, Jakarta faces an existential threat.

The scale of the problem is striking. While Venice subsides at a rate of just 1–2 millimeters per year, parts of Jakarta are sinking by as much as 26 centimeters annually. Already, 40% of the city lies below sea level, and projections warn that vast areas could be underwater by 2050 if trends continue.

Indonesia’s government has adopted a dual strategy: building a sea defense system to protect Jakarta while simultaneously relocating the nation’s capital to a new city.

The sea defense system, known as the Jakarta Bay sea wall, is one of the world’s most ambitious coastal defense projects, envisioned as a 32-kilometer dike stretching from Tangerang to the Port of Tanjung Priok and enclosing roughly 4,000 hectares of land. Work began in October 2014 with the reinforcement of more than 30 kilometers of existing dikes and the construction of 17 artificial islands.

Dutch engineers are guiding the effort to expand the wall into a vast reservoir and lagoon system capable of capturing runoff from Jakarta’s 13 rivers, creating a buffer against flooding. With an expected price tag of $40 billion, officials hope the project will not only shield the capital from rising seas but also provide clean water, reducing the city’s reliance on groundwater extraction by 2050.

At the same time, Indonesia is building Nusantara, a planned $35 billion new capital city deep in Borneo’s jungle. Launched in 2022, the city is being developed in five phases through 2045 to coincide with Indonesia’s centennial. By 2024, the State Palace, ministry offices, residential areas, and parks were completed, while the population surged from 153,000 to nearly 488,409.

Nusantara emphasizes mobility, aiming for 80% of transport to be public through metro lines, rapid buses, and cycling paths. Landmark projects include the Garuda Palace—a striking 77-meter-tall symbol of governance—and the Nusantara International Airport, inaugurated in 2024 with a 3,500-meter runway capable of handling the longest-haul international aircraft.

Both solutions face criticism, with analysts questioning the viability of a sea wall project that may take 40 years to finish—even as projections warn that 95% of North Jakarta could be below sea level—while Nusantara threatens habitats and struggles to draw investment. These challenges underscore Jakarta’s plight and the tension between pursuing mega-projects and responding to environmental crises.

Tesla vs. Waymo: Differences Explained

Self-driving cars are no longer a futuristic concept, and Tesla and Alphabet’s Waymo are taking very different paths to bring them to market. So, what sets their strategies apart?

Waymo’s approach is methodical and city-by-city. It depends on detailed mapping and advanced sensors, such as LiDAR, to guide its vehicles and build rules-based AI systems tailored to each location. Tesla, by contrast, is pursuing a fast, scalable, camera-only model. Relying solely on cameras and AI software, without LiDAR or extensive mapping, Tesla argues its system can react to the road like a human driver, allowing it to expand with less testing and preparation.

Let’s take a closer look at the core distinction between Waymo and Tesla: their sensor strategy. Waymo uses a multi-sensor approach, combining LiDAR, radar, and cameras to build redundancy and improve reliability. Active sensors like LiDAR and radar excel in fog, rain, or low-visibility conditions, helping avoid failures when cameras are obstructed or misidentify objects. This sensor diversity improves depth perception and safety, though LiDAR units are bulky and costly compared with cameras.

Tesla takes the opposite route, relying solely on visible-light cameras. This lowers hardware costs and simplifies design, while allowing the company to collect uniform real-world data from millions of cars. A vision-only system focuses entirely on neural networks rather than integrating multiple sensors. Tesla argues its AI is more adaptable and scalable, though critics note it lacks redundancy and is more vulnerable to environmental challenges.

The companies also diverge in how they process and apply data. Waymo uses high-definition maps as guidance and applies machine learning across perception, prediction, and planning, though critics say it remains tied to geofenced zones. Tesla pursues an end-to-end vision-only system, training a single neural network from video input—a more ambitious but riskier approach to broad generalization.

Currently, Waymo is the only company offering fully paid autonomous ride-hailing open to the public, operating in cities such as San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Tesla is seeking approvals in Arizona, Nevada, and Florida to build on its Austin pilot. Whether rapid expansion or a slow, cautious rollout becomes the winning model will shape not just two companies, but the future of mobility itself.

The $10B Bet to Turn West Palm Beach into Wall St. South

West Palm Beach is being transformed into “Wall Street South,” with super developer Stephen Ross’s new firm, Related Ross, leading a $10 billion reinvention of the city. Spanning 70 acres, the plan includes 6 million square feet of office space, 1.4 million square feet of condominiums, 700,000 square feet of retail and dining, and 870 hotel rooms. The goal is to create a vertically integrated urban center that combines finance, housing, and lifestyle in one cohesive district.

For Ross, this effort marks a significant second act. At 84, the founder of Related Companies—best known for Manhattan’s Hudson Yards—is shifting focus from New York to Florida, betting on the region’s rapid growth. By launching Related Ross in 2024, he is positioning West Palm Beach as a rival to major U.S. metropolitan hubs.

Among the residential highlights is South Flagler House, a waterfront development featuring two 28-story towers designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. With 108 luxury units, the project broke ground in April 2024 and secured $600 million in construction financing—South Florida’s largest condo construction financing that year. Completion is expected in 2027.

On the commercial side, Related Ross is developing two Class-AA office towers—10 and 15 CityPlace—adding nearly 1 million square feet of office space downtown. The larger 15 CityPlace will rise 26 stories with 500,000 square feet of offices and 20,000 square feet of retail, while 10 CityPlace will add 480,000 square feet. Already, 15 CityPlace is 60% pre-leased.

The “Wall Street South” transformation extends beyond real estate. Investments in healthcare and education include Cleveland Clinic’s expansion, the arrival of new private schools, and a Vanderbilt University extension.

Together, these projects reflect a bold attempt to remake West Palm Beach into a dynamic financial and cultural hub for the next generation.

A Solution to Korea’s Countless, Old High-Rise Apartments

South Korea’s housing faces a challenge familiar to many countries that experienced rapid growth before 2000. Its housing stock is dominated by high-rise apartment complexes built en masse during the 1980s–2000s. While these buildings remain structurally sound thanks to seismic codes, their layouts and amenities are outdated.

Large-scale reconstruction, however, is nearly impossible: safety regulations do not classify them as dangerous, and strict floor-area ratio rules prevent rebuilding at higher density. Unlike in the U.S. or Europe, where demolition and adaptive reuse provide options, Korea’s aging apartments are effectively locked in place.

Samsung C&T’s construction division has introduced a novel solution: Next Remodeling. Designed to refresh entire complexes—sometimes thousands of households at once—without demolition or protracted reconstruction, the model combines design upgrades with advanced residential technologies while keeping the original structural frame intact.

The solution streamlines licensing, shortens construction to under two years, and minimizes safety risks. Enhancements range from Raemian-branded interiors and landscaping to energy-saving exteriors, inter-floor noise reduction, robotics that improve parking efficiency, and modular expansion systems, all linked through Samsung’s smart-home platform, Homnick. The company says these improvements can raise property values to levels comparable with the newest apartment complexes.

Momentum is already building. Samsung C&T has signed agreements with 12 complexes. It has also partnered with the Korea Institute of Construction Technology and LX Hausys to integrate eco-friendly materials and smart-home innovations, strengthening the program’s sustainability credentials.

Executives and researchers suggest Next Remodeling could redefine urban regeneration by offering a practical alternative to demolition-led redevelopment. By preserving structures, the model saves resources, reduces risks, and accelerates upgrades in high-density districts constrained by zoning rules. As Samsung C&T advances this program, its success may provide a blueprint for extending the life of South Korea’s aging high-rise apartments.

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