Saudi Arabia’s THE LINE: An Analysis

Last week Saudi Arabia revealed its plans for the futuristic urban project "THE LINE." THE LINE will be part of the mega-city, NEOM, which Saudi Arabia announced in 2017. NEOM will cost $500 billion, and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) is funding the project.

THE LINE is a proposed smart linear city, a one-building city in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. According to the press release, it comprises two parallel skyscrapers faced on all sides with gigantic mirrors, stretching from the Red Sea shore through the desert toward the mountains. The building will stretch over 106 miles and house 9 million people. THE LINE will be a 200-meter wide (656 feet) building acting as a vertical city, designed to sit 500 meters (1,640 feet) above sea level. It will span 34 square kilometers (13 square miles). THE LINE is designed to have no cars, streets, or carbon emissions. 

Although there are few details about this project, Saudi Arabia claims that THE LINE, part of the Saudi Vision 2030, aims to create 380,000 jobs and add $48 billion to the country's GDP. In addition, the Saudi Crown Prince mentioned the following: "This design will challenge the traditional flat, horizontal cities and create a model for nature preservation and enhanced human livability. THE LINE will tackle humanity's challenges in urban life today and shine a light on alternative ways to live." 

According to the project's announcement, "The designs of THE LINE embody how urban communities will be in the future in an environment free from roads, cars, and emissions. It will run on 100% renewable energy and prioritize people's health and well-being over transportation and infrastructure as in traditional cities. It puts nature ahead of development."

The sneak peek in the promotional video by NEOM of THE LINE is impressive and promises to solve urban and environmental problems by creating a city from scratch. However, it is still facing many critics. 

An MIT researcher states, "The effort to meet the challenges of the climate crisis ought to be focused on improving our existing cities, not on creating new ones." Therefore, Saudi Arabia should use such resources and efforts to transform the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, into a city without emissions. There is no need to start from scratch.  

Also, Government critics highlighted the details of THE LINE revealed on July 26 was meant to gain global interest/buzz on the futuristic city during the Saudi Crown Prince's first official trip to Europe since the murder of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, which drew international condemnation. 

Saudi Arabia is still facing many criticisms regarding its human rights record and the idea of THE LINE to solve infrastructure and environmental problems. However, the nation continues to work on developing sustainable energy projects locally and internationally. For example, Saudi Arabia signed an energy agreement with Greece last week. The agreement aims to establish a framework for bilateral cooperation in various energy fields, including carbon capture, clean hydrogen, petrochemicals, and Saudi electricity exports to Greece. Also, last Thursday, the Saudi Crown Prince discussed Europe's energy security and Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify its economy with the French President, Macron, who noted that French companies are ready to "support" Saudi Arabia's transformation with expertise in sustainable cities and transport.

It is too early to answer whether THE LINE is real or fantasy. To see the project's outcome, we must wait until the scheduled completion date, i.e., 2030. There are snapshots of what to expect. It looks like Saudi Arabia is pursuing efforts to expand its global connection and setting a new standard in sustainability to complete the project successfully.

References

1. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/saudi-arabia-the-line-city-scli-intl/index.html

2. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-24/saudi-arabia-to-build-new-mega-city-on-country-s-north-coast?sref=10lNAhZ9#xj4y7vzkg

3. https://www.engadget.com/the-line-neom-smart-city-saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-113539487.html

4. https://www.neom.com/en-us/newsroom/hrh-announces-theline-designs

5. https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2022-07-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/the-saudi-futuristic-city-that-already-belongs-to-the-past/00000182-53b8-d2c3-a5a3-57f802a30000

6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/28/neom-te-line-city-saudi-arabia-mbs-khashoggi-europe/

7. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/07/saudi-arabia-signs-energy-agreement-greece

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