THE LINE project @ NEOM, Saudi Arabia.

THE LINE, NEOM, Saudi Arabia – ©Neom.

Architecture, urban – THE LINE will be located in NEOM, linking the coast of the Red Sea with the mountains and upper valleys of the north-west of Saudi Arabia. The visionary NEOM project and territory is a 500 billion dollars “living laboratory” promoted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to boost smart innovation and the country’s soft power. The region will be a special economic zone that will help Saudi Arabia drive and shift its economy and geopolitical relevance from an ‘oil country’ to an innovation player in a post-oil era.

THE LINE was conceived as a city of a million residents with a length of 170 km that preserves 95% of nature within NEOM, with nor cars nor streets and zero nor carbon emissions. All urban developments will be powered by 100% clean energy, providing pollution-free, healthier and more sustainable environments for residents.

THE LINE project @ NEOM, Saudi Arabia.

Walkability will define life on THE LINE – all essential daily services, such as schools, medical clinics, leisure facilities, as well as green spaces, will be within a five-minute walk. Ultra-high-speed transit and autonomous mobility solutions will make travel easier and give residents the opportunity to reclaim time to spend on health and wellbeing. It is expected no journey will be longer than 20 minutes.

THE LINE’s communities will be cognitive, powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), continuously learning predictive ways to make life easier, creating time for both residents and businesses. An estimated 90% of available data will be harnessed to enhance infrastructure capabilities far beyond the 1% typically utilized in existing smart cities.

THE LINE project @ NEOM, Saudi Arabia.

THE LINE project @ NEOM, Saudi Arabia.

“By 2050, one billion people will have to relocate due to rising CO2 emissions and sea levels. 90% of people breathe polluted air.” Said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Why should we sacrifice nature for the sake of development? Why should seven million people die every year because of pollution? Why should we lose one million people every year due to traffic accidents? And why should we accept wasting years of our lives commuting? Therefore, we need to transform the concept of a conventional city into that of a futuristic one.”

THE LINE project @ NEOM, Saudi Arabia.

Video and images: courtesy of © NEOM.