Saudi Arabia informs the world of the beginning of their megacity's construction with a drone footage on YouTube. The video shows a montage of construction equipment and trucks driving on sandy terrains. It does not really show much more than that.
However, it gives people a glimpse of the environment where the megacity, now named "The Line," will be built. The future architectural marvel is being brought to people by Neom, which is an architecture, engineering, and sustainability amalgamation set up by the Saudi Arabian government, as mentioned in Gizmodo.
The company that aims to bring The Line to reality, is also working on on other projects like "Oxagon," which will be built on the sea, and "Trojena," which will be built on the mountains.
The Line
Saudi Arabia released details about the futuristic city in the past summer, saying that it will be self-contained. It will be 170 kilometers long, and 500 meters in height. As for its width, some say that it is too narrow even for a city that's substantially long, which is 200 meters wide.
Neom claims that the megalopolis will be tackling the challenges that humanity faces, and provide alternative ways to live, according to their official website. It also said that there will be no roads, cars of emissions.
The city will completely run on renewable energy, and 95% of teh land will be preserved for nature. The website also claims that it will prioritize its inhabitants over transportation and infrastructure.
The Line will have a population of nine million people, and a consistent climate all-year-round. End-to-end travel will only take 20 minutes with its high-speed rail, and residents can access facilities within a radius that's reachable by walking for juts five minutes.
Included in the blog post by Neom, is the mention of teh city built around humans, not technology. It will predict what its residents need, and will provide around 380,000 jobs by 2030. Since there are zero cars, people won't have to worry about car insurance, parking, or fuel.
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Contradictions with the Megacity
The announcement of The Line has not been without doubts. Soem say that it's only a way to divert the attention of the masses away from the despicable actions of Saudi Arabia's rulers. Its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, made promises of sustainability, yet an estimate mentioned in The Guardian, said that more than 1.8bn tonnes of carbon dioxide will be produced in the construction of the ambitious project.
In comparison, the emission worth more than four years of UK's entire emissions. They also raised concerns with its height, and the need for it to be that tall when there is a vast desert that surrounds, free for expansions.
Other concerns like fire hazard has also surfaced. For a tight space, it could allow for fires to spread more quickly. As for waste disposal, some also wonder how it will be managed with such a closed city. Perhaps, this will all be answered by 2030, which is the estimated date for The Line to finish constructions.
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