The Line: Saudi Arabia boasts of NEOM project
The Line is the smart city project that will be home to more than 9 million people, the equivalent of the population residing in Manhattan. As one of NEOM's projects, The Line has an exhibition where you can go for free to see all the innovations it has compared to current cities. The Line development will be built using revolutionary architectural designs and urban planning concepts and the exhibition will be open until 29 April at the Diriyah Biennial of Contemporary Art Foundation in Riyadh. Visitors will get a glimpse of life without streets with cars or emissions from The Line.
A spokesperson for the project told Arab News: "The future is here. Unlike traditional cities, The Line will run on 100% renewable energy, prioritise health and promote a sense of wellbeing for residents and visitors over transport and infrastructure." The city will be 200 metres wide, 170 kilometres long and rise 500 metres above sea level and will help conserve 95% of NEOM's land and support environmental sustainability. "There will be no cars, but a high-speed train will take residents and visitors along its route," the spokesperson said.
He noted that the design of The Line was based on a new concept of zero-gravity urbanism, the idea of layering city functions vertically while allowing residents to move seamlessly in the city in three directions: up, down and across, providing quick access to offices, schools, parks and residential facilities. The Line's unique modular design means that all facilities and services can be accessed within a five-minute walk. With an innovative design that requires minimal space and less water, hydroponic gardens will produce fruits, vegetables and flowers in half the time of traditional agricultural methods.
NEOM has several mega-projects in the pipeline, one of them being Trojena, a year-round winter sports complex designed by British Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. And what will be the first outdoor ski resort in the Gulf Cooperation Council region will host the Asian Winter Games in 2029. The Line, which will become home to 9 million people, was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, chairman of NEOM's board of directors, in July. In addition, Trojena will have an airport, a seaport, industrial and research centres, and sports and training facilities.
Set to be one of ten regions within NEOM's development in northeast Saudi Arabia. Oxagon, another of NEOM's projects, will become a port city on the Red Sea, designed to take advantage of shipping travelling through the Suez Canal. The city will act as a port and logistics hub for the wider NEOM project, a renewable energy-powered region that is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy and minimise dependence on oil. With a best-in-class regulatory system for mass support, Oxagon will grow rapidly and welcome its first manufacturing tenants in early 2023.
