Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NEOM, unveiled the designs for The Line last year , a city that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban environment, and which began construction in October 2022 in Saudi Arabia.
According to the project's official statement, The Line's designs embody what future urban communities will look like in an environment free of roads, cars, and emissions.
It will run on 100% renewable energy and will prioritize people's health and well-being over transportation and infrastructure, unlike traditional cities. It puts nature before development and will help preserve 95% of the land.
This is what The Line will be like
The Line is only 200 meters wide, 170 kilometers long and 500 meters above sea level, it is estimated to have 9 million residents and will be built on an area of 34 square kilometers, something unheard of compared to other cities of similar capacity.
“Residents will also have access to all the facilities on The Line within a five-minute walk, plus a high-speed train with a 20-minute end-to-end transit time,” the post reads.
As a result, it will reduce the infrastructure footprint and create unprecedented efficiencies in city functions. Its ideal year-round climate will ensure that residents can enjoy the surrounding nature while traveling on foot.
The designs revealed for the city's vertically layered communities will challenge traditional flat, horizontal cities and create a model for nature preservation and improved human habitability. They will address the challenges humanity faces in contemporary urban life and shed light on alternative ways of living.
Its creator
“We cannot ignore the environmental and livability crises facing cities around the world, and NEOM is at the forefront of delivering new and imaginative solutions to address these problems. NEOM is leading a team of the brightest minds in architecture, engineering, and construction to make the idea of building upwards a reality,” said Mohammed bin Salman.
The Line offers a new approach to urban design: the idea of stratifying city functions vertically, while giving people the ability to move seamlessly in three dimensions, i.e. up, down or crosswise to access them, is a concept called: Zero Gravity Urbanism.
Unlike high-rise buildings, this concept combines public parks and pedestrian areas, schools, homes, and workplaces, so that one can move effortlessly to meet all daily needs in five minutes.
Source: NEOM
