CURRENT ISSUES
Scarcity of natural resources, pollution and inequality
There are too many of us. Population growth increases the demand for water, energy and food, resulting in negative environmental and economic development impacts. On the other hand, cities are huge consumers of resources and generators of waste and pollution. This raises the above problems to others such as our own health.
Finally, this excessive growth increases inequality between countries, regions and social groups, which can lead to greater social tensions and armed conflicts.
Therefore, we are experiencing a change in cities based on restrictions on access by car, vegetation in the interior of cities, the creation of bicycle lanes and the introduction of electric vehicles. There are also projects such as the Wind Garden in Madrid, a plant spiral that will lower Madrid’s temperature by 4 degrees, or so it claims after major heat waves, creating its own microclimate. However, all these patches do not seem to be enough and that is why NEOM was born, with its project The Line.
Its ranks include Denis Hickey as CDO, Giles Pendleton FRICS as Executive Director, Gregory Kimpton as Development Director, Esam El-Makkawy MBA CPA as Finance Director, Steven Lewis as Commercial Director, Ben Burgess as Development Director, Raoule Barnard as Programme Director and Strategic Designer and Paul Jessup in charge of Marketing and Sales.
What is The Line ?
In the north of the country of Saudi Arabia, a city 170 kilometres long and 200 metres wide and flanked by walls of mirrors has been designed, which will be made up of a succession of 500-metre high skyscrapers.
This sustainable, smart city was announced in 2017 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of his plan to modernise the country and turn it into a global centre of innovation and technology. Some of the objectives of The Line are :
1. Create a sustainable and efficient city.
2. Promote innovation and technological development.
3. Diversify the Saudi economy.
4. Attract foreign investment.
With no roads, cars or emissions, it will run on 100% renewable energy and 95% of the land will be preserved for nature. People’s health and well-being will be prioritised over transport and infrastructure, unlike traditional cities. It will eventually accommodate 9 million people and will be built on an area of only 34 square kilometres. This will mean a reduced infrastructure footprint, creating never-before-seen efficiencies in city functions. The ideal year-round climate will ensure that residents can enjoy the surrounding nature.
Residents will also have access to all daily essentials within a five-minute circular walking range, an action well below the 15-minute city plan of some cities such as Barcelona, as well as high-speed rail with end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.
THE LINEΒ΄S 4 PILLARS
Incomparable access to nature
Its progressive design offers immediate and uninterrupted access to nature within a two-minute walk, through its diverse open spaces, suspended on multiple levels. Equal access to pristine views of the surrounding natural landscape, mountains and sky for all, avoiding urban sprawl thanks to a reduced infrastructure footprint.
Clean air for everyone
The city will have zero carbon emissions, thanks to the elimination of infrastructure, cars and roads. It will run on 100% renewable energy, including industrial operations. The integration of nature and open spaces will play an important role in improving air quality. It is being built in such a way that its urban footprint will be only 2% of that of a conventional city.
More time to spend with your family and loved ones
All basic necessities will be accessible in less than five minutes on foot and an efficient public transport network will provide fast end-to-end travel. Automated services will be powered by artificial intelligence. The proximity of services will mean that residents will often see family and friends through spontaneous encounters.
Perfect weather all year round
To ensure the establishment of microclimatic spaces, the environment has been carefully designed to allow for an optimal balance of sunlight, shade and natural ventilation. In addition, open green spaces throughout the city will further enhance the comfort of those living, working and visiting the city.
IS IT IN PROGRESS ?
Currently, the planned location for The Line is the northwest region of Saudi Arabia along the Red Sea coast. Researching and thanks to Google Earth + Google Maps the reality is that yes, it is happening. In fact the plan is for The Line to have an end date of around 2030. Of course in the video posted above you can also see the progress.
“THE LINE will address the challenges facing humanity in today’s urban life and shed light on alternative ways of living. We cannot ignore the liveability and environmental crises facing our world’s cities, and NEOM is at the forefront of bringing 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.”
His Royal Highness
Of course this is only the first chapter of this new newsletter dedicated exclusively to the NEOM project.
I recommend you to subscribe to follow it with me in my own Linkedin profile here :Β
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7140014245781331968/
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