Inside Saudi Arabia ‘The Line’

1. It will be a city in the sky

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The Line is a project in Saudi, put forward by NEOM. The city will be a vertical city, growing upwards in huge skyscrapers. Flat cities use a lot of space and so The Line wants to save space for nature and create an entire city in the sky using very little land space.

2. It's already happening!

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There have been many people who have doubted if the project will actually/ and can be, pulled off. Yet, Satellite images show us that the construction is already started at a very early capacity. The project essentially began back in 2019, however, now we see the physical form of the linear structure along with diggers and builders, etc.

3. It's going to be a 'smart city'

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The whole idea and purpose of The Line is to create a smart city. The smart city means it will be based on advanced technology and it will be more futuristic that any other city or project in the world. It will be sustainable and there will be no cars.

4. The futuristic claims don't match the reality

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The terrible truth behind The Line is that although there are these plans for something great and fantastic, the reality of the living situation of a lot of people in Saudi looks like nothing in the pamphlet put forward by NEOM. This is supposedly a new futuristic world, yet in Saudi women do not have basic rights and the LGBTQ community are persecuted.

5. It is 170km long

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The city will be 170km long. The Line will take on a very unusual shape, a never been done before city structure. This is for the reason of preserving land for land conservation. With the environment an ever threatening worry, the line hopes to prioritise nature around the city rather than using masses of natural space.

6. By 2030 there will be over 1 million residents

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By as soon as 2030 it is hoped that the city will have 1 million residents. Now this is just a fraction of what the city hopes to hold in the future. However, NEOM estimates that 1 million people will initially live in the city, with a huge influx of people immediately to start the new world in The Line.

7. Everything will be 5 minutes away

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Despite the fact that The Line is 170km long, NEOM state that all amenities will be no more than 5 minutes away at any given place. People will be able to get everything they want and go to everywhere they need without the time and effort that is often a part of a modern day person's every day commute.

8. There will be no cars

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The Line will have no cars - another reason this city will be totally unique. There will be mass transport such as a rail connection throughout the city which end to end will take you just 20 minutes. This public transport will be like nothing we've seen before, it will be hugely advanced and without emissions.

9. It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs

Image source: Human Rights Watch

Another of the claims that NEOM makes about The Line is that the project will create a new 380,000 jobs. The construction of the city will require so much, that there will be a LOT more jobs available. These new jobs should last a few years as the project will take a lot of time to fully develop.

10. It will be the most complex project ever

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This project sounds fantastical because it's like nothing that exists yet. It is the most complex project that has ever been put forward and actually agreed. The infrastructure that will exist in The Line, exists nowhere else in the world as of yet. NEOM want to create the first futuristic city.

11. It will be powered by 100% renewable energy

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The greatest thing about The Line will without a doubt be the fact that the new city will run entirely on renewable energy, meaning that the impact on the environment is lessened significantly. There will be no emissions, so that this city will be a clean air city.

12. The environmental impact of building it is HUGE

Image source: Human Rights Watch

But, it's not as simple as being able to claim what it will be like in the future when the reality of building it is very different. The saving land in theory is amazing idea, yet there will be a lot of land destroyed in the initial stages, when the city has to be built. This is partly due the linear structure because so much more land will be affected before it is built.

13. The project will create 2 millions of emissions

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There bis also the claim that the city will be totally renewable and it will have minimal environmental impact. Yet to actually complete the project, it will create just short of 2 million tons of emissions which will be released into the atmosphere. This is more than the yearly total of most European countries carbon emissions.

14. The city will be powered by AI

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The city will be completely run by very advanced and powerful artificial intelligence - like we can only imagine. This AI will know everything about the city and the communications and technology will talk to one another all around the city to adhere to its needs and the needs of its residents.

15. It will prioritise people

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In NEOM's words, it claims that the city will prioritize people. Usually, a city prioritises it's own infrastructure over the needs of the people. Here, people are supposedly at the forefront of the city meaning that their quality of life should generally be better than in other cities around the world.

16. There will be lots of land for nature

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One of the biggest benefits of the city will be the priority of nature in and around the city. In the proposal videos of what the city looks like nature has been heavily incorporated within the vertical city. 95% of NEOM's land will be natural space. And, all around the city will be nature which will help people reconnect as everybody in the city will be so close to natural land.

17. Eventually it should house 9 million people

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So eventually, at the maximum comfortable capacity for the city, there should be 9 million residents. The city will have a huge population however according to NEOM it will not feel too busy or cramped as certain city's around the world can feel. These 9 million people will fit comfortably.

18. 500 meters above sea level

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The city will be 500 meters above sea level, showing just how tall the city will be. The city will be based around these sky scrapers which are extremely tall - all to create an efficient use of space. So, the city will appear in Saudi as a vertical, tall line which protrudes out from the earth and the sea around it.

19. Saudi is trying to compete with Abu Dhabi and Dubai

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One of the reasons that NEOM created this project is because they wanted to compete with Abu Dhabi and Dubai in terms of economy and becoming a tourist attraction. Dubai and Abu Dhabi have become hot spots for wealthy people and young people and Saudi wants to be on an equal playing field, or launch themselves to the top in terms of popularity.

20. They expect 100 million visitors annually

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As a result of The Line, NEOM hopes to be bringing in 100 million visitors annually. And these visitors are projected to be coming solely with the purpose of visiting The Line. Because this will be the only city like it in the world, the tourist population and money influx to Saudi should be huge.

21. It will create billions of dollars for the local economy

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The local economy is one thing that has been at the forefront of NEOM's project, The Line. Saudi have recently been making lots of efforts to compete in terms of becoming a big economy. The Line will generate billions and billions of dollars for the local economy.

22. The are human rights concerns

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Saudi has been renowned for its human rights violations as well as instances of extreme human abuse. It is also known for its exploitation of migrant workers. Migrant workers deal with terrible conditions, violations of human rights and not being paid fairly or even on time.

23. There will be flying taxis!

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Now just to really get a true vision of this city, there will be supposedly things such as flying taxis and robot maids. NEOM have stated several claims, whether these will or have even been created yet is unknown. The technology such as robot maids should improve quality of life by taking away domestic chores.

24. The Saudi government gave the NEOM project $500 billion

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To fund such an unthinkably huge project - a LOT of money was needed. The Saudi government have invested 500 billion dollars into the NEOM project, and it has also had external funding from several other sources. The project will be one of the most expensive projects ever.

25. The initial completion date was 2025

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The entire project of The Line was meant to be completed in 2015. however, as that is now just two years away the project has been pushed back. The pandemic and other factors have meant that certain aspects of the project were on hold. Now, the completion date is set to be 2030, so The Line was pushed back five years.

26. Similar projects have failed

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In the past, over the globe similar kinds of projects haven't actually come to fruition. There have been many ambitious and very grand plans from different projects around the world (albeit not so ambitious as this) which have never actually managed to be completed. They perhaps get some of the way, and then for some reason they have failed.

27. A dystopian world

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Now the thing is with The Line is we have only heard or seen of such things in movies. It is every much like a dystopian world vision that we only see in fiction. And this is exactly what NEOM intends it to be. It is a vision that has never yet been done in reality yet.

28. They claim people will live longer

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According to NEOM and some of the experts involved with the project, it is thought that people will live longer in a city like The Line. This is because there is less less emissions and harmful pollution. Also there is less tress in terms of where and how people live. Technology will also help and there will be world renowned health care.

29. It will only be 200 metres wide

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The Line, will as we know be 170km wide but it will only be 200 metres wide making it a completely revolutionary structure. Usually, a city bis wide and relatively flat. This means that you will be able to cover the distance of the width of the city on foot in less than 5 minutes time!

30. There will be no streets

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It is a difficult concept to grasp, picturing a city like nothing we've even seen before. But there will be no streets - these will be unnecessary due to their being no cars. There will just be places within the skyscrapers. No space will be unnecessary or wasted in The Line.

31. It may be completely unrealistic

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The foundations of the projects are based on reality, real technology and real infrastructure which CAN be achieved. But then the other side of the NEOM project are these fantastical claims of beaches with glowing sand for example, which are making people questions is this all totally unrealistic?