Eye-popping
\nNEOM has consistently raised eyebrows for proposed flourishes like flying taxis and robot maids
\nNews Agency
\nJEDDAH
\nA futuristic Saudi megacity is to feature two skyscrapers extending across a swathe of desert and mountain terrain, according to the latest disclosures on the project by the kingdom\u2019s de facto ruler.
\nThe parallel structures of mirror-encased skyscrapers extending over 170 kilometres (more than 100 miles), known collectively as The Line, form the heart of the Red Sea megacity NEOM, a plank of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s bid to diversify the Gulf state\u2019s oil-dependent economy.
\nFirst announced in 2017, NEOM has consistently raised eyebrows for proposed flourishes like flying taxis and robot maids, even as architects and economists have questioned its feasibility.
\nIn a presentation Monday night, Prince Mohammed sketched out an even more ambitious vision, describing a car-free utopia that would become the planet\u2019s most liveable city \u201cby far\u201d.
\nAnalysts noted, though, that plans for NEOM have changed course over the years, fuelling doubts about whether The Line will ever become reality.
\nNEOM, a biotech and digital hub spread over 26,500 square kilometres (10,000 square miles), was once touted as a regional \u201cSilicon Valley\u201d.
\nNow it\u2019s a vehicle for reimagining urban life on a footprint of just 34 square kilometres, and addressing what Prince Mohammed describes as \u201cliveability and environmental crises\u201d.
\n\u201cThe concept has morphed so much from its early conception that it\u2019s sometimes hard to determine its direction: scaling down, scaling up, or making an aggressive turn sideways,\u201d said Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
\nPopulation boom
\nOfficials had earlier said NEOM\u2019s population would top one million, but Prince Mohammed said the number would actually hit 1.2 million by 2030 before climbing to nine million by 2045.
\nThe eye-popping total is part of a hoped-for nationwide population boom that Prince Mohammed said would be necessary to make Saudi Arabia, the world\u203as biggest crude exporter, an economic powerhouse.
\nThe goal for 2030 is to have 50 million people \u2014 half Saudis and half foreigners \u2014 living in the kingdom, up from roughly 34 million today.
\nBy 2040 the target is 100 million people, he said.
\n\u00abThat\u203as the main purpose of building NEOM, to raise the capacity of Saudi Arabia, get more citizens and more people in Saudi Arabia. And since we are doing it from nothing, why should we copy normal cities?\u00bb
\nThe site will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy and feature \u00aba year-round temperate micro-climate with natural ventilation\u00bb, a promotional video released Monday said.
\nPast environmental pledges by the kingdom, such as a vow to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, have sparked scepticism from environmentalists.
\nNEOM is well-positioned to harness solar and wind energy, and plans are also afoot for the city to host the world\u203as largest green hydrogen plant, said Torbjorn Soltvedt of risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
\n\u00abBut the feasibility of NEOM as a whole is still unclear given the unprecedented scale and cost of the project,\u00bb he said.
\nFinding funds
\nAt just 200 metres (yards) wide, The Line is intended to be Saudi Arabia\u203as answer to unchecked and wasteful urban sprawl, layering homes, schools and parks on top of each other in what planners term \u00abZero Gravity Urbanism\u00bb.
\nResidents will have \u00aball daily needs\u00bb reachable within a five-minute walk, while also having access to other perks like outdoor skiing facilities and \u00aba high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes\u00bb, according to a statement.
\nThough NEOM will operate under its own founding law, which is still being prepared, Saudi officials say they have no plans to waive the kingdom\u203as alcohol ban.
\nAn airport is already operational at NEOM, and authorities announced in May it would begin receiving regular flights from Dubai, but it is unclear whether major construction of the megacity itself has commenced.
\nThe \u00abfirst phase\u00bb of the project, lasting until 2030, will cost 1.2 trillion Saudi riyals (roughly $319 billion), Prince Mohammed said.
\nBesides government subsidies, potential sources of funding include the private sector and an initial public offering for NEOM expected in 2024, he said.
\nSecuring the necessary financing remains a potential challenge, though the current climate is more favourable than during the coronavirus pandemic that lowered oil prices.
\nBut funding is only part of the equation… demand is harder to buy, especially when you\u203are asking people to be part of an experiment on living and working in the future,\u00bb Mogielnicki said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eye-popping NEOM has consistently raised eyebrows for proposed flourishes like flying taxis and robot maids News Agency JEDDAH A futuristic Saudi megacity is to feature two skyscrapers extending across a swathe of desert and mountain terrain, according to the latest disclosures on the project by the kingdom\u2019s de facto ruler. The parallel structures of mirror-encased […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-274012","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n