The Hoop

Described by perpetually chirpy news anchor Swifty Frisko as a "Land of Leisure, where the wageless pass their time in happy serenity!", The Hoop is a circular 50th-century housing estate floating off the coast of Manhattan. It is inhabited by unemployed people, euphemistically known as 'increased leisure citizens', who live in Blister-Homes protruding from the Lilo-Pads that in turn protrude from the Hoop. Twice a day the Hoop seals itself off and separates its sections so that the waves don't destroy the entire structure.

The population comprises humans (70% of them female) and sentient aliens from Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri. It is policed by volunteers known as 'Rumblejacks', many of whom have been leucotomised (undergone radical brain surgery). Wealthier citizens are protected by vicious robot dogs, as intelligent as they are ferocious, which "come in five beefy persona-types," all of them lethal. Notable residents include Halo Jones, Rodice and Brinna.