Manhattan has been reimagined as a single long vertical city, in a similar manner to NEOM’s The Line in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s futuristic city of NEOM announced earlier this year The Line, a 170 km vertical city that can be travelled end to end in 20 minutes. The Line, part of the $500 billion NEOM project, will be built on a footprint of 34 square kilometres.
The new vision for Manhattan sees the borough’s 8.93 million people placed in a “zero gravity” 34 kilometre square vertical city which will enhance nature, according to a video on The Line’s website.
At NEOM, The Line will be a 200 metres wide, 170 kilometres long, and 500 metres above sea level. The development will be formed of two parallel buildings, with mirror as outer walls, rising 500 metres above sea level. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said “The Line” will embody “Zero Gravity Urbanism,” where city functions are layered vertically.
Announced in 2017, NEOM is Prince Mohammed’s plan to turn a remote region of the country into a high-tech semi-autonomous state that re-imagines urban life. It’s part of his plans to attract foreign investment and help diversify the Saudi economy away from a reliance on oil sales.
The Line, as the car-free linear city that will form the backbone of Neom is known, could cost up to $200 billion to build, the prince said last year, though that was before the plan changed to include gigantic horizontal buildings.
NEOM’s The Line:
- Everything you need to know about the project
- NEOM The Line’s world-leading experts, who are bringing the futuristic city to life
Everything you need to know about Saudi Arabia’s The Line
“The Line is an out of the box idea,” Neom chief executive office Nadhmi Al-Nasr said in an interview, declining to comment on the specifics of the plan. “What we will present when we are ready to will be very well received, and will be viewed as revolutionary.”
The buildings would be “different heights as you go,” adapting to the landscape, with their final size determined by engineering considerations and the terrain, Al-Nasr said.
“When people talk about The Line, they see a futuristic Hyperloop, Star Wars type of entity,” said Ali Shihabi, a member of Neom’s advisory board. “But when The Line was presented to the board, I saw a highly intelligent, well thought-out sustainable modern city that will accommodate from laborers to billionaires and that will be built in stages, so it will follow demand.”
In a statement issued, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said The Line “will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live.”
The crown prince claims residents will be able to reach all daily needs within a five-minute walk in “The Line,” where public parks and pedestrian areas, schools, homes and places for work are “layered.”
There will also be a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes, according to the statement.
In a statement issued in January 2021, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said: “Throughout history, cities were built to protect their citizens. After the Industrial Revolution, cities prioritised machines, cars and factories over people. In cities that are viewed as the world’s most advanced, people spend years of their lives commuting,” said the Crown Prince.
“By 2050, commute durations will double. By 2050, one billion people will have to relocate due to rising CO2 emissions and sea levels. 90 percent of people breathe polluted air.
“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.”
NEOM’s The Line project promises:
- Unparalleled access to nature
- Clean air for everyone
- More time to spend with loved ones
- A perfect climate all-year-round
NEOM aims to make The Line a world-class place to live without pollution and traffic accidents. Residents of The Line will not need car insurance, fuel or parking, says NEOM’s website.
The city will integrate nature and open spaces and provide preventative healthcare for people to live longer.
With increased business opportunities and a richer human experience, The Line aims to create 380,000 jobs by 2030.
NEOM The Line’s world-leading experts, who are bringing the futuristic city to life
Antoni Vives
Chief Urban Planning Officer
Giles Pendleton
Executive Director
Jonathan Oakes
Chief of Staff
Gregory Kimpton
Development Director
Esam El-Makkawy
Regional Finance Director
Steven Lewis
Commercial Director
Ben Burgess
Development Director
Raoule Barnard
Design Strategy & Program Director
Peter Anderson
Senior Development Executive
The totally-pedestrianised city is set to create 380,000 jobs in Saudi Arabia and once completed the carbon emission-free city aims to contribute almost USD$48 billion to the Saudi economy.
Follow us on
