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Being in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the 2023 Cityscape Global Conference and Exhibition has been an eye-opening experience.
Being stuck in traffic for 1 and a half hours to travel 6km is also an experience, and to be honest I now see why the locals are so enthusiastic about the futuristic project called THE LINE.
THE LINE a project by NEOM was announced with great fanfare by His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Board of Directors back in July last year. Currently, more details are being unveiled here at Cityscape.
This issue outlines some of the details.
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DECONSTRUCTED
THE LINE, Saudi's 110-mile-long vertical city.
A satellite image taken shows the construction of a base village and excavation activity on 'THE LINE' in Saudi Arabia's northwestern Tabuk province
Construction has started on The Line — a 170km long. 500m high. 200m wide vertical city that will house 9 million people without any cars, streets, or carbon emissions.
A mirror-clad architectural city, THE LINE will be a structure stretching across 170 kilometers, from the mountains of NEOM across the desert to the Red Sea.
THE LINE will eventually accommodate nine million people and will be built on a footprint of just 34 square kilometers. No roads, cars or emissions, it is planned to run on 100% renewable energy and 95% of the land will be preserved for nature.
The concept is far removed from the horizontal cityscapes we are accustomed to, however, if successful the vertically integrated concept has the potential to revolutionise the way we live.
A solution to isolation and inequality?
The project is being defined as an example of Zero Gravity Urbanism whereby all residents have equitable immediate access to nature, social and commercial services within a 5-minute walk, and most importantly, promoting inclusion through social connectivity by its very design.
The easiest way to visualise the project is to watch the video click the image below as outlined at Cityscape Global.
THE LINE is being designed to take advantage of the latest advanced technologies and innovations, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D printing, robotic automation, connected infrastructure and predictive technology to build the world’s first cognitive city.
The vision is for THE LINE to also lead in other sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.
THE LINE takes the 15-minute city concept, whereby residents can reach all necessary amenities within a 15-minute walk, and plans to supercharge it to a 5-minute walk with around 80,000 people situated in each 5-minute catchment. By way of comparison, in Manhattan around 25,000 people live within a 5-minute walk of each other.
The $500bn megacity, which organisers claim will be 33 times the size of New York City, eventually the two parallel, mirrored buildings that are nearly 500 metres tall and 120km long will be a megacity.
OUR TAKE
THE LINE is controversial.
The project has proved controversial due to three main concerns – sustainability, liveability and human rights.
For a parody look at some potential issues with the project watch this video.
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