It seems like one of the big still largely unsolved problems here is that of connection among units. Even very compact cities sprawl out and have constant cont

It seems like one of the big still largely unsolved problems here is that of connection among units. Even very compact cities sprawl out and have constant contact with markets through transportation. Having relatively easy connections between habitable units, in this case ships of various sorts, lowers the pressure to build big and makes large groupings possible by facilitating transportation. Currently there is an example of this in carrier groups. These consist of many types of ship that travel together and depend on supply ships. To transfer goods between ships there are specialized cranes that set up cable connections that handle the cargo. Improving this technology so that even basic boats available to the public could make reliable exchanges at sea could really help. Or maybe the solution is to launch and recover small vessels that travel between boats. Only development and experimentation will really tell. In any case, any seagoing enterprise with many people and industries will have to have a great deal of exchange with other vessels or remain close to coastal sources of supplies. It may make more sense to think of this whole enterprise more in terms of logistics than being about structures.