Neom "The Line"

Neom is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia that is the planned site of a cross-border megacity (one of the more visible projects of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman's ambitious "Vision 2030"). "The Line" will be the 170KM belt of urban development that is the city's defining feature. Access the full factsheet here: https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/7cdb96da-cb0d-466d-b7c1-632f81756664/-/inline/no/neom-the-line-fact-sheet-eng.pdf

ABOUT THE LINE

THE LINE is a never-before-seen approach to urbanization – a 170km-belt of re-imagined urban development with multiple, hyper-connected communities, with natural and walkable spaces.

It is a model of urban design and livability that puts people and planet in harmony for the 21st century and beyond. Built around nature, rather than over it, large areas of land will be preserved for conservation, supporting NEOM’s environment and rich heritage.

THE LINE will be a home for more than 1 million people from all over the world. It will create a platform for innovation and prosperous businesses, addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, like climate change, urban sprawl, traffic congestion and social disconnection.

The mixed-use communities have been designed on a human scale where livability and health and wellbeing are prioritized, with everything you need only a 5-minute walk away.

THE LINE is supported by an invisible layer of infrastructure that is embedded with sustainable smart technology containing essential utilities and transportation services, generating care-free communities and public realms. This will increase efficiencies, enabling a low-cost regional hub for business that attracts the world’s biggest companies. THE LINE aims to create 380,000 jobs of the future, spur economic diversification and contribute SAR 180bn to domestic GDP by 2030.

KEY FACTS

• Length: 170km

• Nature within a 5-minute walk from every point on THE LINE

• Connects 4 distinctive ecologies

  • Coastal

  • Coastal Desert

  • Mountain

  • Upper Valley

LIVABILITY

• Urban design will reimagine and revitalize the future of urban living.

• Communities will be built around people, not cars, creating a people-friendly, human-scale urban environment for all to enjoy.

• Walkability is in the DNA of NEOM’s communities, providing everyday conveniences to all residents.

• Communities empowered by AI will learn and predict ways to make life easier to save time for residents and businesses.

• Nature integrated into the heart of the communities, enhancing livability and well-being.

• Communities with distinct personalities created and inspired by the residents and the nature of the businesses within them.

• THE LINE is supported by agricultural areas, supporting locally grown and sustainable food production.

MOBILITY

• People are no longer captives of the car. Roads and streets are replaced by piazzas and walkable boulevards filled with parks and green spaces.

• It will be an easy five-minute walk to automated mass transit or autonomous vehicles.

• High-speed transportation will connect THE LINE, end-to-end, making travel simple and stress-free.

CLEAN ENERGY

• All energy in NEOM will be 100% renewable – from solar, wind and hydrogen-based power generation – ensuring clean and pollution-free urban environments.

• With utilities integrated into the infrastructure spine, THE LINE allows for the development of an environmentally friendly transmission and distribution system

• Clean energy also lets production and manufacturing back into the community in a zero-emission, carbon-positive ecosystem.

COGNITIVE COMMUNITIES

• Cognitive communities are predictive. They are linked by an intelligent connected system where 90% of data gathered is used and analyzed; and with low latency connectivity, there is no digital divide.

• Urban development will be taken to a new level with AI-empowered communities – they will learn and develop continuously, offering residents and businesses ever-improving services.

• AI is woven into the entire fabric of THE LINE, providing seamless integration into every aspect of personal and commercial life.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• 95% of NEOM’s land will be conserved to enhance livability for residents and environmental protection.

• Natural open spaces surround THE LINE, restoring humanity’s relationship with nature.

• Each community will be self-sufficient; powered exclusively by renewable energy, eliminating emissions and reducing NEOM’s carbon footprint.

ABOUT NEOM

NEOM is a bold and audacious vision of what a New Future will look like (in fact, NEOM means “new future”). It is something that’s never been done before at a time when the world needs fresh thinking and new solutions. NEOM will be a destination and a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional liveability, creating prosperous businesses, and new ways of looking at sustainability. NEOM will be an accelerator of human progress. It will deliver:

• An economic engine for the region and the world

• A powerful approach to environmental conservation and regenerative development

• A living laboratory where entrepreneurship will chart the course for a new future

• A home for an international community of dreamers and doers

• A place with exceptional livability and breathtakingly diverse terrain

NEOM: Key Facts

• Over 1 million residents by 2030

• More than 5 million tourists by 2030

• 380,000+ jobs created by 2030

• SAR 180bn to GDP by 2030

• 100% powered by renewable energy

Location

• North-west of Saudi Arabia

• 450km of coastline

• Snow-capped mountains reaching 2500 meters above sea level

• Perennial solar resources (20 MJ/m2) and ideal wind speeds (an average of 10.3 m/s) provide abundant green energy

• Temperature is 10 degrees cooler on average than the rest of the GCC

• 40% of the world’s population will be able to reach NEOM in less than four hours

• Approximately 13% of the world’s trade already flows through the Red Sea

NEOM is the brainchild and vision of HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and was first announced to the world in 2017. NEOM is an embodiment of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan to grow and diversify the Kingdom’s economy and play a leading role in global development.

The development of NEOM is under way and initial construction of THE LINE begins in 2021. Agreements have been signed with AECOM and Bechtel to develop an advanced transport infrastructure making THE LINE one of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects in the world.

Other agreements are with Air Products and ACWA Power to build a world-scale green hydrogen-based ammonia production facility powered by renewable energy; and with stc to establish a 5G network infrastructure that will accelerate NEOM’s digital ambitions.

Chime in with your reactions to these designs here: https://www.biedsociety.com/forum/_nato/middle-eastern-overview