A new form of living is emerging in Saudi Arabia. With an estimated cost of one trillion dollars and a project timeline of potentially fifty years, a project called The Line is in the works. It’s located in Neom, in the northwest region of Saudi Arabia. This location is very environmentally diverse. It’s located near the Red Sea, and its surrounding terrain includes a red desert and snow-topped mountains. The idea is that it puts people first and uses one-hundred percent renewable energy. Additionally, it’s situated at the “crossroads” of the world for optimal trade opportunities. The country’s goal is for the infrastructure to eventually house nine million people and it will be built on a patch of untouched land thirty-four kilometers (about 21 miles) long. There are three regions: Trojena (the mountains of NEOM), Oxagon (the hub for innovation with a port for a supply chain network), and The Line (the structure will be in the shape of a line, hence the name), and it will be revolutionary. 

Overview:

The indoors host many various features including a high-speed train that can travel from one end to the other in approximately twenty minutes, an ideal climate year round, and residents will have access to amenities all within a five-minute walking distance from their living area. The epitome of this project is to put humans first. The surrounding nature (95% of it) will be preserved and there are no cars or emissions released. The project will run on one hundred percent renewable energy. Automated services will be run by artificial intelligence, and by 2030, 380,000 jobs will have been created. People will have more time for leisure since their commute time is much shorter, and the idea is that they will have more disposable income since they don’t have a car or car insurance, or gas prices to budget for. Residents will only be two minutes from nature, as this project is essentially a vertical garden city. The location of the project was strategically planned to be a six hour flight from 40% of locations in the world, allowing trade to happen easily.   

Trojena: 

One of the regions that will be included in the project . It’s set to be a mountain destination that will boast both natural and artificial features that blend seamlessly together. There will be “four seasons.” The first is the wellness season is from September to November. During these months, the region has a wellness summit, a discovery week, focus on alternative medicine, and has a yoga retreat, an artist residency, as well as an entertainment residency. During the winter season from December to March, there is skiing, snowboarding, winter fashion week, ice skating, and a music and film festival. The adventure season is from March to May, during which there is high-altitude training, an adventure triathlon, a yoga retreat, mountain biking, paragliding, and climbing. Lastly, during the lake season from May to September, there’s a music festival, a food festival, an art fair, a cultural week, a light show, and a yoga retreat. The region will include ultra-luxurious mountains, a ski village, an area that combines virtual and actual reality called The Vault, a lake, wildlife reserve, an observatory, and an event center called The Bow.    

Oxagon: The sector that serves as a hub for innovation. An automated port is present and the coastal city in NEOM. By 2030, the population is expected to be 90,000, and 70,000 jobs will have been created. It will be the largest floating structure in the world, will have 100% renewable energy. 13% of the world trade passes through the Suez Canal and Oxagon will be closely situated to the canal. There will be research and innovation campuses, a port, several villages, a manufacturing sector, cruise terminal, Oceanographic research center, off-shore community, hydrogen plant,  a mass modular construction area, a hyperscale data center, a desalination plant, and a park. There will also be an energy, food, and water innovation hub as well. There will be a high-speed rail to The Line and NEOM airport, and it will be the largest cruise terminal in the Red Sea.  

The Line: A place where humans receive a world-class quality of life. There’s no pollution or traffic accidents, and with prevantative healthcare, people are expected to live longer. The plan is centered around humans being the focus. The society poses a solution to urbanism, as well with 100% renewable energy and only two minutes from nature. “THE LINE will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live. We cannot ignore the livability and environmental crises facing our world’s cities, and NEOM is at the forefront of delivering new and imaginative solutions to address these issues. NEOM is leading a team of the brightest minds in architecture, engineering and construction to make the idea of building upwards a reality”- His Royal Highness Mohamed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors. 

For more information: https://www.neom.com/en-us/regions/theline

Works Cited:

NEOM. (n.d.). The line. NEOM. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.neom.com/en-us/regions/theline