A look into Neom’s linear utopian world.
Population growth, urban pollution, endangered physical health, and long daily commutes are all issues that have stricken Saudi Arabia. As a solution, on 10 January 2021, the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announced the imminent development of THE LINE in Neom, Tabuk Province.
A gleaming futuristic place of 200 meters wide and 170 kilometers long, what is essentially a livable line will run 100% on renewable energy and 95% of the land will be preserved for nature (as the city is a vertical one and requires little space). In THE LINE, most necessities will be accessible within a five minute walk, and citizens can ride a high-speed rail for things that aren’t. Those that live there will also always be at the most, two minutes away from nature.
THE LINE is expected to be completed by the year 2030 and is expected to ultimately accommodate nine million people- all on less than 34 square kilometers. This will mean, according to the Neom website, a “reduced infrastructure footprint” and reduced Earth poison too.
The name Neom comes from the prefix “neo”, meaning new, and the letter M comes from the Arabic word مستقبل (“Mustaqbal”), meaning “future”. NEOM calls itself a “blueprint for tomorrow in which humanity progresses without compromise to the health of the planet”.
The plan, as it is, details two glass buildings stretching from the Red Sea to the city of Tabuk, with an outdoor space in between. It is expected to be a handy tourist-generator as well, with scuba-diving, astonishing architecture, culture, untouched nature, and other interesting things. There will also, apparently, be glow-in-the-dark beaches.
Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman remarked the following: “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.”
Robert F. Worth of The New York Times rudely labeled it, though, as yet another fanciful incident of Saudi arrogance. As he rather cynically put it: “Why anyone would want to move there, and why a city should be shaped like a strand of capellini, is anyone’s guess.” He also wondered who would “consider moving to a remote desert city, to be subject to 24/7 surveillance and the whims of a murderous prince”.
It has been called “the world’s most futuristic city plan” by Architectural Digest, “100-miles of real estate clichés” by Slate, and “a rich man’s toy” by BBC.
Saudi Arabia has, though, rather controversially continued to exploit its rich oil supply, which contradicts their environmental thinking. And, despite NEOM’s promise for a better future for humankind, they have, in preparation for their building project, plundered two towns and forcibly removed around 20,000 members of the ancient and traditionally nomadic Bedouin Huwaitat tribe.
Will THE LINE be what it promises to be? Will people actually live there? Is it a good idea? Few answers lie among these questions, so you might as well do something else with your time. If you are truly interested, though, press here.
