Houston aka Old Houston

By the year 2030 it became undeniable that the city of Houston, Texas was going to be swallowed by the sea within the next ten to fifteen years and most likely unlivable within the next five to ten. Plans began for how to deal with the issue and moved surprisingly quickly for government work due in large part to the input of the Magic Counsel. This group had been looking for an opportunity to create a showcase of its skills and so it volunteered to work to help build New Houston. This made New Houston a new icon for what magic can do. It allowed people to walk away from Houston as the waters rose.
Since that time, Houston has completely submerged. The laws of ownership for Houston are unclear at the writing of this article. As a part of the move to New Houston, property owners deeded their buildings and lands to the Magic Counsel. As there are known intelligent aquatic magical species, including some merpeople, it was assumed that they could modify and adjust the remains of the city into their new home and be provided with the basics necessary for communal living. On the surface, this seemed reasonable. The issues that arose probably should have been anticipated.
The largest issues currently are the world maritime laws. Is it, in fact, legal for someone to own underwater property. This challenge is being met by the National Association for Magical Rights. They justifiably feel that if an intelligent land species can 'own' land, the same should hold true for the aquatic species. This would open whole new fields of profitability for the aquatics who have a notoriously difficult time earning within their communities.
Another issue that became apparent were the issues with things like plumbing, heat, and the refuse created when refurbishing buildings to the necessary aquatic codes. This work has created a revenue stream; however, it has also created the need for a place to dispose of the detritus of land based buildings. It is far too easy to have the garbage swept away by the tides.
Even now, decades later, we are struggling to bring law to this aquatic city.

Type

Ocean