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The idea of turning water into land has fascinated humanity for centuries. The Netherlands, for example, as one of the pioneers in the subject, have about 20% of their territory reclaimed from the sea or lakes using dikes as methods to stop the water and dry the surfaces. Technological development over time, however, has made this practice increasingly popular. Today, China is one of the countries leading the ranking, as well as urban centers in the global south, highlighting cities in West Africa, East Asia, and the Middle East. These megalomaniacal landfills are mainly created in places where there is an extensive coast, but not enough land to meet their needs. The uses accommodated in the new area are diverse, ranging from the creation of luxury residences to an entertainment archipelago with hotels, restaurants, theaters, and shops. Despite the significant gains in the commercial and tourism sector, the environmental degradation of this scale of intervention is constantly being discussed, with damages ranging from gentrification, expulsion of native communities, and annulment of their means of subsistence, to the destruction of entire ecosystems. This situation has guided cities in the search for less aggressive solutions for their expansion needs, such as the development of what is now called "aquatic urbanism." In it, circular and zero-waste systems, as well as closed-loop water systems, net-zero energy, innovative mobility, and regeneration of coastal habitats are integrated. As technology advances in the same proportion as environmental concern and climate change increase, iconic landfills built in recent decades are important examples that can guide strategies on what to do and, above all, what not to do in new land expansions over the sea. Bearing this in mind, check out some of the most striking examples below. **Palm Jumeirah, Dubai** Talking about megalomaniacal landfill projects and not mentioning the "palm tree" of Dubai is impossible. The project took nine years to build, starting in 2001. Its area covers 31 km2 including the main trunk, 17 branches, and a semicircular wall with side openings. The extension houses luxurious residences on the "leaves" and a hotel at the seafront, all connected by a surface train generating a landscape worthy of a science fiction movie. The project cost approximately US$12 billion, and with the amount of stone and sand used in it, it would be possible to build a 2-meter wall that would encircle the Earth three times. Among many impacts on the ecosystem, the most commented is how the project hindered the circulation of seawater, altering the marine ecosystem and generating bad odor. **Eko Atlantic City, Nigeria** Nigeria seems poised to surpass South Africa and become the largest economy on the continent thanks to oil. However, the country faces many common problems in our era: rising sea levels, swells, and devastating floods. In this context, Eko Atlantic is a multibillion-dollar project that promises to protect against marine erosion. With 10 km2, the idea of the project, which is still under construction, is to offer housing for 250,000 people and employment for more than 150,000 distributed among parks and other services. The project advances full of criticisms, with scholars affirming that the nearly 3km wall, nicknamed the "Great Wall of Lagos," will serve to contain the advance of water in the same proportion as it will segregate the space, creating a closed and financially accessible city that will only "save" those living in it from the floods. **Marina Bay, Singapore** Singapore's history is marked by numerous territorial expansion interventions that seek to deal with an interesting paradox: surplus money and limited land. In total, the country, currently 700 km2, has already managed to increase 25% of its territory. There is a public policy of "land reclamation," which makes the island advance 40 cm per year into the sea, according to local journalists (the number is contested by the government, which cites an annual average of 2 cm). This has led Indonesia and Malaysia, the most affected countries, to temporarily ban the import of sand to Singapore. Within this controversial context, Marina Bay, started in 1969, is an icon of the country. Built on a 3.6 km2 landfill, the region has become one of the country's main destinations in terms of restaurants, hotels, and attractions, materializing an investment of S$4.5 billion. The bold urban design was combined with iconic architectures, such as the Marina Bay Sands and the world's largest infinity pool, elevated to 200 meters, designed by Safdie Architects. However, plans for territorial expansion over the sea still continue. **Parque do Flamengo, Brazil** Inaugurated in 1965 in Rio de Janeiro, the popularly known Aterro do Flamengo, with 1.3 km2, was built on the sea with material from the dismantling of a nearby hill. Both the park and the intervention in the hill were part of a municipal plan to solve the city's traffic problem, avoiding the high cost of expropriations necessary to widen the main roads in the area. Its construction marked the modernization of Rio de Janeiro and represents an interesting example of large-scale landfill that assumes a public and cultural vocation. In addition to the roads that cross its extension, the area is also marked by large vegetated masses - a project by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx - cut by curved walkways that lead to the sea. Among them, cultural buildings and sports facilities are spread out. In 2012, the park received the title of World Heritage in the category "Urban Cultural Landscape," granted by UNESCO.

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