As far back as 2017, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the crowned prince of Saudi Arabia from 2017 until date. He outlined central aspects of what he wants to be one of the most urban developments in the world. This development was named the Neom. The Neom is to develop an economic hub that will cover an area of 26500 Km² extending along the Aqaba golf and Saudi Arabia. The initial plans presented an AI-powered city with flying cars, robot maids, and an artificial moon. It became real when the centerpiece of the Neom which is the Line was unveiled in January, last year, and now, on the 25th of July 2022, Prince Mohammed announced the structure of The Line.
The structure of The Line
The designs of the Line embody how the urban communities would be without cars, roads, and emissions, and it would run on a hundred percent renewable energy. The Neom is to contain 9 million residents. It is roughly thirty-four squares Kilometers. It is 200 meters wide. And you can travel from end to end in twenty minutes. You can picture it as 2 big mirrors encased in skyscrapers standing side by side, and can still house 9 million residents. It will house two buildings 1600 feet (0.49 km) tall running parallel for 75 miles (ca. 121 km) in a line. It is called the world's far most livable city so far because It will be built on nature as it will have no cars or road, and it will be built around nature. People's health and wellbeing will be prioritized rather than infrastructure, unlike other communities.
The question is, can this idea be envisioned? Can it be actualized? Or it's mere fiction..
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Even the world's best economists, analysts, and architects can't say if this scope can be realized
Funding
The first phase of the project, set to end in 2030 costs about 1.2 trillion riyals, equivalent to 265 billion pounds. Besides government subsidies, potential sources of funding include the private sector and an initial public offering for Neon expected in 2024. Prince Mohammed is hoping for a nationwide population boom that will be necessary to make Saudi the world's biggest crude oil exporter, this will further boost their economy.
Criticisms
Even though prince Mohammed envisioned The Line to have been ready in 2030, an initial impact assessment said that it would take 50 years for the Line to be ready, and it would have to be constructed in stages. It has also faced Human rights criticisms when it was announced that local tribes were displaced forcefully from their areas and security personnel shot a person dead. Speaking to a west-Asia based media outlet Mirror, Alya al-Huwaiti, a UK-based activist and dissident member of the Al-Howeitat tribe told Middle East Eye: "“He [Salman] will do anything to pretend he’s turning Saudi Arabia into a civilized country. But it’s not true because [a civilized country] wouldn’t have all these prisoners, and kill people or force them to be displaced.”
So far, it's too early to conclude whether the Line will be a success or a failure, but still, it's a wide thinking that many people aren't still sure if it's just yet another Science Fiction, or a reality to look up to.
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