A Haven Amid the Scorching Desert: Saudi Arabia Introduces The Line, the World’s First Vertical City
After high anticipation worldwide, Saudi Arabia is rumored to be scaling back on their 1.4 trillion-dollar, one-of-a-kind project, the line, after three years of continuous planning and construction.
Living in a dystopian reality, one akin to those we see in movies or read in books, may seem like a distant reality to many of us, an existence that, in theory, should take hundreds or even thousands of years to manifest itself based on our current technological and economic development. So, you may be surprised to hear that a futuristic city is much closer to becoming a reality than any of us may have anticipated.
In fact, it is just around the corner and Saudi Arabia is the first in the world to take the steps toward elevating our future well beyond expectations. For the past 4 years, the nation has been working towards a better future, not just for its citizens but for the rest of the world. Just imagine what it would be like to live in a completely self-sustaining city that is segregated from all surrounding areas. A city where anything and everything you’d ever need is a mere 20-minute or less train ride away. Whether it is commuting to school or work or simply going to the mall or visiting a friend’s house, everything is easily and quickly accessible at all times, wherever you are. A city where all the environmental concerns of urbanism plaguing the world are solved at last, allowing its society and habitat to live in harmony and union with a lack of worry for pollution, traffic, or needless transportation payments.
Source: https://www.neom.com/en-us/regions/theline
The Eighth Wonder
Centuries ago, 7 ancient civilizations blessed us with 7 wonders of the world that anthropologists are still fascinated by to this day. However, unknown to them, there might just be an eighth wonder waiting to be discovered just around the corner. Amid the scorching deserts of Saudi Arabia, a heaven city is stationed, which will completely revolutionize urbanism and civilization as we know them today.
Introducing The Line, the world’s first futuristic city bound to completely change the world’s approach to infrastructure. The Line is a realization of the concept of a liner city that has been imagined and proposed for over a century but, due to a lack of funding and supplies, to no avail. However, Saudi Arabia is the closest that anyone has ever gotten to turning this dream into a reality. The Line was initially introduced by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in 2021.
Source: https://www.neom.com/en-us/regions/theline
The Line is a part of the country’s 2030 ten-year plan, where they aim to diversify the country in so many different aspects, including its economy, society, and culture. This outstanding project was initially expected to cover 170 km of space, spanning from the Red Sea all the way to the great city of Tabuk, and was projected to have 9 million residents – 25% of Saudi Arabia’s population. Caged between two mirrored skyscrapers, this linear smart city will run on three different levels: one surface for pedestrians and two underground for infrastructure and transportation. Additionally, maid robots, flying taxis, and an artificial moon are only some of the dystopian elements that you can expect. The whole concept seems like it’s coming straight out of a Sci-fi movie and we’re so here for it!
Source: https://www.neom.com/en-us/regions/theline
Setbacks and Furthering’s
For the past 3 years, since The Line was first announced, it seems like this unbelievable city is the only thing on everyone’s minds. The idea of a city that can eliminate any need for cars and streets and the subsequent carbon emissions thought to be unattainable within this lifetime, not to mention the outstanding environmental impact, was incredibly fascinating. Hence, in order to stay in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 Project, construction began straight away in October 2021 after the announcement in hopes of completing the first phase of the project by 2030. However, ever since the onset of construction, rumors began circulating that the cost of this project is much higher than what was initially anticipated, making the project nearly impossible. Neither confirming nor denying, finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan stated, “We’ll change course, we’ll adjust, we’ll extend some of the projects, we’ll downscale some projects, we’ll accelerate some projects.” Giving us hope that there is still a future for this utopian city.
Source: https://www.neom.com/en-us/regions/theline
Currently, 260 excavators and 2000 trucks are working 24/7 to set the foundation integral to the development of The Line. To combat the rumors about stunted work, the recently released photos and drone footage of the project prove that everything is going just according to plan.
