Saudi Arabia may be famous for medieval barbarism and oil, but the kingdom is rebranding as a futuristic ecotopia.
The latest showcase of this unlikely vision is The Line, a mirrored city that’s 500m tall, 200m wide, and 170km long.
The metropolis will purportedly have a population of 1.5 million people by 2045. The project is projected to cost up to $1 trillion.
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Future residents are promised “a civilizational revolution” with no cars, roads, or emissions. Underground trains will transport them from end-to-end in 20 minutes, and all amenities will be within a five-minute walk.
The facilities will be vertically-layered across the 34 square km city. Spaces for work, leisure, and home will be accessible in three dimensions: up, down, and across.
Vertically layered communities will challenge traditional flat, horizontal cities.
The plans may sound preposterous, but construction is already underway. This week, the Saudi government unveiled new design concepts for the city.
“The designs revealed today for the city’s vertically layered communities will challenge the traditional flat, horizontal cities and create a model for nature preservation and enhanced human livability,” said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in a statement.
You can feast/torture your eyes on the visuals in our gallery below. Alternatively, check out a hubristic promo video for the project atop this page.
The Line is part of the broader Neom development in northwest Saudi Arabia.
While MBS has promised a “civilizational revolution that puts humans first,” the project will displace thousands of people already living on the site.
One tribesman from the community made videos protesting the evictions. He was later shot dead by Saudi security forces.