Saudi Arabian city of the future ‘The Line’ set to build the world’s largest buildings

A part of the $500 billion megaproject Neom, the new development will eventually house 9 million residents, according to a statement, and will be built on a footprint of 34 square kilometres.

The Line is 200 metres wide, 170 kilometres long, and 500 metres above sea level.

First look of the project showed 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.

“The designs revealed today for the city’s vertically layered communities will challenge the traditional flat, horizontal cities and create a model for nature preservation and enhanced human livability,” he said in a statement.

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.

Everything you need to know about the futuristic Saudi Arabian city

“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.”

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said it “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.

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.

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.”

Revealed: Pictures of the futuristic Saudi Arabian city – The Line