Saudi Arabia unveils plans for $1 trillion 'City of the future'
RIYADH, July 26, 2022
Saudi Arabia has unveiled an ambitious plan to build the world’s largest structure, the Mirror Line, - comprising two glass reflective buildings standing tall at 488 m and running parallel for 120km across coastal, mountain and desert terrain - in the kingdom's northwest region, said a report.
The two buildings will be connected via walkways, and a high-speed train that will run underneath them. It also boasts concept designs such as integrated vertical farming, a marina for yachts, and a sports stadium built up to 305m above ground - And all this come at a price tag of a whopping $1 trillion, reported The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), after viewing hundreds of pages of confidential planning documents that revealed for the first time the lay-out for the plan.
On completion, it will be home to 5 million people who will be able to travel end-to-end within a 20-minute stretch, the report added.
The designs of The Line, a mega project within Saudi Arabia's $500-billion futuristic city Neom, was unveiled yesterday (July 25) by His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Board of Directors.
A revolution in urban living at Neom, The Line is a 170-km belt of hyper-connected future communities, without cars and roads and built around nature.
It is a direct response to some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity today such as legacy infrastructure, pollution, traffic, and human congestion, said a statement.
A city of the future that puts humans first, The Line is a blueprint for how people and planet can co-exist in harmony. It will provide an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature.
In January last year, His Royal Highness launched the initial idea and vision of the city that redefines the concept of urban development and what cities of the future should look like.
The designs of The Line embody how urban communities will live in the future in an environment free from roads, cars and emissions. It will run on 100% renewable energy and prioritise people's health and well-being over transportation and infrastructure as in traditional cities. It puts nature ahead of development and will contribute to preserving 95% of NEOM’s land.
For 9 million residents
The announcement reveals the most important characteristics of The Line, which is only 200 m wide, 170 km long and 500 m above sea level. The Line will eventually accommodate 9 million residents and will be built on a footprint of 34 sq km, which is unheard of when compared to other cities of similar capacity.
This in turn will reduce the infrastructure footprint and create never-before-seen efficiencies in city functions. Its ideal climate all year round will ensure that residents can enjoy surrounding nature when walking around. Residents will also have access to all facilities in The Line within a five-minute walk, in addition to a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.
HRH Mohammed bin Salman said: “At The Line’s launch last year, we committed to a civilisational revolution that puts humans first based on a radical change in urban planning. The designs revealed today for the city's vertically layered communities will challenge the traditional flat, horizontal cities and create a model for nature preservation and enhanced human livability. The Line will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live.”
HRH added: “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.”
Place for all people
HRH continued: “NEOM will be a place for all people from across the globe to make their mark on the world in creative and innovative ways. NEOM remains one of the most important projects of Saudi Vision 2030, and our commitment to delivering The Line on behalf of the nation remains resolute.”
The Line offers a new approach to urban design: the idea of layering city functions vertically while giving people the possibility of moving seamlessly in three dimensions (up, down or across) to access them is a concept referred to as Zero Gravity Urbanism. Different from just tall buildings, this concept layers public parks and pedestrian areas, schools, homes and places for work, so that one can move effortlessly to reach all daily needs within five minutes.
Outer mirror facade
The Line will have an outer mirror facade that will provide its unique character and allow even its small footprint to blend with nature, while the interior will be built to create extraordinary experiences and magical moments. It will be created by a team of world-renowned architects and engineers, led by NEOM, to develop this revolutionary concept for the city of the future.
In order to change business as usual, the city’s design will be completely digitized, and the construction industrialised to a large degree by significantly advancing construction technologies and manufacturing processes.
The announcement of The Line’s designs is a continuation of NEOM’s progress in the development of its flagship projects such as Oxagon, its reimagined manufacturing and innovation city; and Trojena, its global mountain tourism destination that will offer the Arabian Gulf’s first outdoor skiing; as well as the launch of two of NEOM’s subsidiaries: Enowa, its energy, water and hydrogen company; and the NEOM Tech & Digital Company. -TradeArabia News Service
