The Line

01/05/2023

JOBS ALERT NEOM, Saudi Arabia !

Skill Type: Project Management

Open Positions:
- Ecosystem Development Manager
- Data Office Lead
- ERI Project Lead
- Senior Specialist - Hydrogen Projects
- Director Digital Mobility Systems

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THE LINE is a civilizational revolution that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature.

30/04/2023

Are you one of following?
Financial Controls & Statutory Accounting Analyst
Commercial Finance Analyst
Commercial Finance Manager
Commercial Finance Director

30/04/2023

Jobs at The Line

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29/04/2023

SAUDI ARABIA JOB ALERT!

NEOM’s hiring: How to get a job at Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion mega project.

Step 1: Subscribe our YouTube channel. We'll be posting job updates frequently. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRIz3KLfBfSvfDHG05-vb_w)

Step 2: Share your job roles & expertise in comments.

28/04/2023

Subscribe our YouTube channel for more exciting updates on The Line.

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THE LINE is a civilizational revolution that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature.

17/04/2023

The Line
NEOM

17/04/2023

NEOM is happening - I’m doing an epic 2 month road trip around to visit the new and emerging destinations. Last week I drove around the whole of the NEOM region (which is the same size as Belgium and larger than Kuwait!) and saw a lot of of the new developments taking place, including the site of NEOM’s linear city, The Line.

Despite scepticism and a perception that it might just be a dream idea, the project is really happening with significant work underway.

Below are some of my insights and pictures from the sites I saw. See also ’s January 2023 progress film which has some good drone footage of work happening across all 4 of NEOM’s mega project sites (SINDALAH, TROJENA, The Line, and OXAGON): https://lnkd.in/e7qPr3cV

-Placemaking: NEOM is an idea that’s being turned into a place. It’s a giant placemaking exercise on a sparsely populated land with striking . The 26,000 sq km area takes up a portion of the province of Tabuk.

-NEOM is Open: It’s an open region that you can drive around in. As you drive around, you can see signs explaining what each construction project is and which companies are involved.

-The South: The southern part of the NEOM region is really where it feels ‘NEOM’ is, at present. It’s where the project has put its main footprint: this is where , and are. At the centre of this southern stretch, between the old towns of Sharma and Gayal, is NEOM Community 1. This is NEOM’s first major residential and office compound for staff, which is full of high-end prefabricated housing units. (This is where the ‘I ❤️ NEOM’ sign is).

-The Line: Huge are well underway to prepare for its (or at least part of it). Work is taking place at different sites along the entire length of the 170km-long project including tunnelling sites (e.g. see here: https://lnkd.in/eip7yy_m) and work to create the Spine: the high speed link running the length of the project. You can see significant stretches of earth that have been dug out and piled into hills. New roads run alongside the site which you can drive along and see a lot of the work underway (e.g. https://lnkd.in/eqe5sQDT).

- : Site teams are beginning to move to the site where the new NEOM International Airport will be built (towards the Eastern end of The Line). The region already has 1 new airport: NEOM Bay International Airport, which opened in 2019.

-Trojena: New roads have been built to make the mountains more accessible including a road into the Trojena valley where work has started.

I’m currently touring around for 2 months. I work as an independent researcher and consultant focused on sustainable development in Saudi and the MENA region, so do drop me a message if you’re looking for support or expertise!

07/04/2023

The line is real part 3?
Down on site today and up in the air following a sand storm giving a great view of our progress.

03/04/2023

The world's largest piling project has been relocated to The Line's marina.

As excavation work for the waterway progresses, Neom is preparing to move the focus of the world's largest piling project to The Line modules at the marina.

The Line's buildings are made up of 135 modules that are 800 metres long and 500 metres tall at sea level.
The Line is 170 kilometres long in all, stretching from the Red Sea coast interior towards Tabuk.

Modules 45, 46, and 47 are located at the marina, which is intended to be twice as large as any other marina in the world and capable of hosting the world's largest cruise ships.

11/03/2023

Visit The Line Experience from NEOM in Riyadh.

09/03/2023

Impressive piling operation on THE LINE

14/02/2023

Quick flight today to check on The LINE Progress and the Worlds biggest building site. Super proud of our teams making this happen.

13/02/2023

NEOM announces AI technology partners at LEAP23

NEOM will partner with Oracle and NVIDIA to deliver cutting edge AI technology to the upcoming Saudi megaproject

NEOM has taken a giant step towards its AI-driven future after announcing a collaboration with tech partners Oracle and NVIDIA on the sidelines of the LEAP23 event in Riyadh.

Through its tech subsidiary TONOMOUS, Saudi Arabia’s NEOM will deliver ground-breaking AI across the development.

TONOMOUS was the first company to be established as a full-fledged subsidiary of NEOM.
NEOM technology partners

The collaboration is designed to accelerate AI-powered innovation for a broad range users, including private sector and government organisations.

TONOMUS will provide customers with direct access to NVIDIA’s advanced AI technology to take advantage of the planned Oracle Cloud Region to be located at NEOM.

Oracle’s cloud technology will be hosted by ZeroPoint DC hyperscale data centre and via TONOMUS’ digital cloud platform.
NEOM tonomous leap23
From left, Jaap Zuiderveld, Vice President EMEA at NVIDIA; Fabio Fontana, CEO of ZeroPoint DC; Nick Redshaw, Senior Vice President – Tech Cloud, Middle East and Africa, Oracle; Joseph Bradley, CEO of TONOMUS

Joseph Bradley, CEO of TONOMUS, said: “The longstanding alliance between Oracle and NVIDIA complements TONOMUS’ ongoing mission to build the infrastructure and ubiquitous connectivity required to enable the world’s first ecosystem of cognitive technologies.

“This monumental collaboration will empower NEOM with geographical advantage and place Saudi Arabia firmly on the map as a regional hub for the provision of AI capabilities, as well as further support Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s rapidly developing cloud market.”

Richard Smith, Executive Vice President, Cloud and Technology, EMEA of Oracle, said: “The futuristic city of NEOM is the ideal ground for deploying the latest AI-powered applications and customer experiences, which will help usher in a new era of smart cities.

“TONOMOUS will benefit from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s (OCI) unmatched capability of supporting modern cloud native applications in a secure environment.

“This, coupled with our existing partnership with NVIDIA, will speed AI adoption for enterprises.”

Jaap Zuiderveld, Vice President of EMEA at NVIDIA, said: “AI and accelerated computing in the cloud enable cities around the world to improve sustainability and livability, enhance the safety and efficiency of urban mobility, and deliver more inclusive citizen experiences.

“NVIDIA software and systems on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure provide an ideal platform for developers like TONOMUS to build AI-forward, modern cities.”

We are investing US $1.5 billion in to meet the Kingdom’s rapidly growing cloud computing demand and support its : https://t.co/iIdxj1FGEL pic.twitter.com/TXOVrYIOu5
— Oracle () February 6, 2023

Users of TONOMUS’ seamless, cloud management platform, which combines cloud sales and management with a user-friendly digital interface, will draw a range of valuable benefits from the company’s collaboration with Oracle and NVIDIA.

In addition to curating access to the world’s top cloud service providers, the platform allows users to search for and compare a wide range of options, capabilities and costs in real time, and then purchase and manage solutions.

It also facilitates cost monitoring, resource optimisation and visibility, centralises customer management of multiple cloud assets and costs, and is an asset to finance and accounting departments in accessing information on historic and projected costs based on consumption.

The availability of the globally adopted NVIDIA AI platform will grant businesses that make NEOM their home the benefits of essential processing engines for each step of the AI workflow, from data processing and AI model training to simulation and large-scale deployment.

The venture will be propelled by technology such as the NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPU and the upcoming, NVIDIA H100 – the most advanced accelerator ever produced and an order-of-magnitude leap for accelerated computing.

Its combined innovations can speed up large language models by an incredible 30 times over the previous generation to deliver industry-leading conversational AI.

Early adopters of the technology will also be able to enjoy various opportunities, allowing large corporations across a range of industries – from healthcare and manufacturing to telecommunications and financial services – to reduce their IT infrastructure costs, automate operations and obtain insights faster than ever before.
For all the latest business news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.

09/02/2023

The Line
A multimedia exhibit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, reveals more details about NEOM’s linear city

https://youtu.be/RHDttuL6lPE

08/02/2023

Parsons confirmed delivery partner for 170km The Line at NEOM, Saudi Arabia

US consultancy reveals details of services it will provide for 170km linear city – The Line at NEOM – in Saudi Arabia

US consultancy Parsons has revealed additional details about the scope of its work for the 170-kilometre The Line at NEOM in Saudi Arabia.

The Line at NEOM is designed to have no cars, roads or carbon emissions and operate on 100 percent clean energy.

It will be a 200 metres (m) wide and 500m-tall urban development designed to address urban real estate challenges such as outdated infrastructure, pollution, traffic and human congestion.

Parsons’ framework agreement for consultancy services on The Line includes project and construction management services for the design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning of the project.

The consulting firm will also manage the project’s critical interfaces with adjacent NEOM projects and logistics.

Construction on The Line at NEOM began in the first quarter of 2021. Its delivery team is expected to reach 6,000 staff at peak between 2025 and 2026.

“The Line is a civilisational revolution inspired by the dream of sustainable urban living in harmony with nature,” said Pierre Santoni, president for the Middle East and Africa at Parsons.

“Closely aligned to Parsons’ own mission of delivering a safer, cleaner, and more connected world, we are proud that as The Line’s delivery partner, our work will not just reshape the region, but will reimagine the future of sustainable urban living around the world.”

In December, Saudi BAUER Foundation Contractors Ltd, a company of the BAUER Group, has been awarded a new contract for two further construction phases for the foundation of NEOM THE LINE, satellite images of which were revealed earlier this month.

As part of the contract, Bauer will also be responsible for the construction of approximately 70m deep large-diameter bored piles up to 2.5 m in diameter.

This is the second contract award for Bauer for NEOM THE LINE. In August 2022, the company secured a contract for the first specialist foundation engineering project.
Beyond The Line at NEOM

Other projects planned for the NEOM gigaproject are also progressing. YOTEL, a global hospitality brand, announced its first hotel signing in Saudi Arabia in January.

Scheduled to open in 2025, the YOTEL property will also be the first hotel to open in Oxagon, which will be the home of advanced and clean industries in NEOM.

Oxagon will be one of several cities and destinations within the NEOM development, all set to be powered by renewable energy sources, amplifying Saudi Arabia’s plan to sustainably diversify its economy, as part of its Vision 2030 strategy.

Also in January, General Hotel Management Ltd (GHM) announced its strategic agreement with NEOM Hotel Development, the developer of a future-centric hospitality ecosystem in the northwest corner of Saudi Arabia, to manage The Chedi Trojena.

GHM is the second hotel partner for Trojena – a unique perennial mountain destination and host venue of the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

Integrated within the Slope Residences atop the mountain peaks, The Chedi Trojena will be part of an iconic residential village in one of TROJENA’s six distinctive clusters: Gateway, Discover, Valley, Explore, Relax and Fun.

Construction on Trojena commenced in December 2022 and is slated to welcome its first guests in 2026. It is one of the several components planned for development at NEOM, alongside Sindalah Island, Oxagon and The Line at NEOM.

08/02/2023

The Mirror Line.

Magical minds behind The Line

Architects of The Line

27/01/2023

Our traveling exhibition in Riyadh is easy on the eyes 👀 See what our countless visitors have enjoyed first-hand, with exclusive new pictures of our immersive experience.
🎟 Book your free ticket now: TheLINE.halayalla.com/en-us

26/01/2023

NEOM THE LINE: BAUER Group secures foundation works contract for linear city

As part of the contract, Bauer will also be responsible for the construction of approximately 70m deep large-diameter bored piles up to 2.5 m in diameter for NEOM THE LINE

Saudi BAUER Foundation Contractors Ltd, a company of the BAUER Group, has been awarded a new contract for two further construction phases for the foundation of NEOM THE LINE, satellite images of which were revealed earlier this month.

As part of the contract, Bauer will also be responsible for the construction of approximately 70m deep large-diameter bored piles up to 2.5 m in diameter.

This is the second contract award for Bauer for NEOM THE LINE. In August 2022, the company secured a contract for the first specialist foundation engineering project.

The project involved the installation of approximately 70m deep large-diameter bored piles for the mega construction project NEOM THE LINE. Construction progress is fully on schedule, enabling the first contract to be completed on time.

NEOM THE LINE: Talk of the town

All contracts are part of a three-year framework agreement, within which further
projects are expected for the BAUER Group.

Following the contract win, Michael Stomberg, CEO of BAUER referred to NEOM THE LINE sci-fi city as the “talk of the town and one of the world’s most impressive construction projects”.

He said: “Shortly before the successful completion of the first contract, we are pleased to have the confidence of the client to execute further project sections.”

The $500 billion NEOM futuristic city is currently one of the largest construction projects in the Arab region and the world. The gigaproject will be built in the northwest of Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea.

A major part of the humongous development is the construction of NEOM THE LINE, a city that will be 200m wide, 170km long, and 500m above sea level.

When complete, THE LINE will accommodate 9 million residents and will be built on a footprint of 34 km2. This will help reduce the infrastructure footprint and create energy efficiencies for the city. The city will also feature a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.

25/01/2023

“The Line” in Saudi Arabia: What’s all the hype about?

Futuristic city’s design unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has unveiled the designs for "The Line" in NEOM, which according to its twitter handle is "a city that offers a healthier and more sustainable way of life."

The Line "will be an architectural marvel running in a straight line from the mountains of NEOM to the Red Sea," adds the description.

The zero-carbon city will have vertically layered homes, offices, public parks and schools within a mirrored facade stretching over 170 km (150 miles), Saudi state media reported the crown prince as saying on Monday.

The crown prince had launched in January last year the initial idea of the city redefining the concept of urban development and what future cities should look like, according to WWW.NEOM.COM.

"It will run on 100% renewable energy and prioritize people's health and well-being over transportation and infrastructure as in traditional cities. It puts nature ahead of development and will contribute to preserving 95% of NEOM's land," reveals the press release issued by the state quoting Price Mohammed bin Salman.

The city will be only 200 metres wide, 170 km long and 500 metres above sea level.

It will eventually accommodate nine million residents and will be built on a footprint of 34 square km, added the release.

It will have ideal climate all year-round which residents can enjoy while traveling on foot, the release also quoted the Saudi crown prince as revealing.

Residents will have access to all facilities in the city within a five-minute walk.

There will be a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.

"The Line will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live," the Saudi crown prince claimed.

"NEOM will be a place for all people from across the globe to make their mark on the world in creative and innovative ways. NEOM remains one of the most important projects of Saudi Vision 2030, and our commitment to delivering The Line on behalf of the nation remains resolute," he added.

The Line will also reportedly have an outer mirror facade which will allow it to blend with nature, according to the press release.

Its interior will be built to create extraordinary experiences and magical moments by a team of world-renowned architects and engineers, it added.

Prince MBS had said last year that the project's infrastructure would cost $100 billion to $200 billion, according to Reuters.

24/01/2023

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THE LINE is a civilizational revolution that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature.

24/01/2023

A line in the sand: new satellite images show rise of Saudi Arabia's The Line

New satellite images have revealed a birds-eye view of the rise of Saudi Arabia's $500 billion Neom mega project.

The striking aerial views captured progress on The Line, including the set up of offices and campsite for the engineering team and workers.

Saudi Arabia also published a video showing how a vision of the future is taking shape.

Footage reveals more than two dozen bulldozers dredging a long line across the desert, to start the construction process of The Line — a behemoth mirrored city.

The Line will comprise two parallel, 200-metre-wide skyscrapers, each 170 kilometres long and 500 metres high, stretching across the north-west part of Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea.

It will be home to nine million people, authorities have said, who will live in interconnected communities run by artificial intelligence designed to co-exist with nature.

The project is the first time in 150 years that a major urban development has been designed around people, not roads.

All essential daily services — such as schools, clinics, leisure centres and green spaces — will be within a five-minute walk.

The Line's executive director, Giles Pendleton, said construction was progressing rapidly on one of the most important new urban developments in Neom and the rest of the world.

“Work is already quite advanced on the infrastructure to support The Line, with world-renowned architects designing the initial sections, vertical spaces, and layers for the first residents,” he told The National.

“It is a very complex project that is being developed in multiple phases, yet, through continued close collaboration with engineers and contractors, we move closer towards realising the Neom vision every day.”

The video also highlights other projects under Neom, such as Sindalah island, Trojena and Oxagan.

Construction of The Line began in the first quarter of 2022. Agreements have been signed with construction companies Aecom and Bechtel to develop an advanced transport infrastructure, making The Line one of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects in the world.

The structure will be the largest building in the world by a wide margin. The Pentagon, home to the US Department of Defence and the world's largest office building with nearly 30 kilometres of corridors, is tiny by comparison.

21/01/2023

Official Lusail Stadium Construction 4K Time Lapse, FIFA World Cup 2022

Official Ahmad bin Ali Stadium 4K Construction Time-Lapse- FIFA World Cup 2022The Ahmad bin Ali Stadium is a football stadium located in the Al Rayyan distri...

20/01/2023

Official AI Thumama Stadium Construction 4K Time Lapse, FIFA World Cup 2022

Official AI Thumama Stadium Construction- 4K Time-Lapse, FIFA World Cup 2022The Al Thumama Stadium is a football stadium located in the Al Thumama district o...

18/01/2023

NEOM: Video shows progress on Saudi Arabia’s $500 bln mega-project

18/01/2023

Riyadh exhibition showcases NEOM’s futuristic city THE LINE

RIYADH: An exhibition showcasing a smart city being built as part of the NEOM project in northwestern Saudi Arabia has gone on display in Riyadh.

The Line development will be constructed using revolutionary architectural designs and urban planning concepts and the exhibition will run until April 29 at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation for Contemporary Art in Riyadh’s Jax district.

Visitors will be given a glimpse into life without streets, cars, or emissions in the futuristic linear city.

A spokesman for the project told Arab News: “The future is here. Unlike traditional cities, The Line will run on 100 percent renewable energy, prioritize health, and promote a sense of well-being for residents and visitors over transportation and infrastructure.”

The city will be 200 meters wide, 170 kilometers long, and rise 500 meters above sea level and will contribute to conserving 95 percent of NEOM’s land and support environmental sustainability.

“There will be no cars, but a high-speed railway will take residents and visitors across its length,” the spokesman said.
He pointed out that The Line design was based on a new concept of zero gravity urbanism, the idea of layering city functions vertically while enabling inhabitants to move seamlessly in the city in three directions – up, down, and across – offering quick access to offices, schools, parks, and residential facilities.

The Line’s unique modular design ensures that all facilities and amenities can be accessed within a five-minute walk.

Using an innovative design that requires minimal space and less water, hydroponics gardens will grow fruit, vegetables, and flowers in half the time of traditional agriculture methods.
The Line, which will become home to 9 million people, was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, chairman of the NEOM board of directors, in July.

NEOM has several ongoing megaprojects, one of them being Trojena, a year-round winter sports complex designed by Iraqi British architect Zaha Hadid. And what will be the first outdoor ski resort in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, is set to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029.

Another megaproject is Sindalah Island, a luxury tourist destination.

Exhibition visitors can opt to take a guided tour conducted in Arabic and English, while free tickets can be booked at

17/01/2023

The devil is in the details

At first glance, the project appears environmentally impressive. The urban edge is no more than 100 metres from any point in the city. A high-speed electric public transport service ensures no part of The Line is more than 20 minutes away.

Residing in such a gargantuan structure implies a claustrophobic lifestyle. But, in theory, each resident would enjoy an average of 1,000 cubic metres of urban volume. That’s much more generous than most dense city living environments.

Unfortunately, as in many high-density, high-rise buildings, a sophisticated vertical transportation system would be needed. The structure is equivalent to a conventional 125-storey skyscraper.

The project costs also seem modest at US$55,000 per resident. Let’s say this is achievable in a country with much lower employment costs than in developed economies and only relates to infrastructure. Even then, it remains to be seen how ultra-high-speed transit and cutting-edge infrastructure and services within the most massive building ever constructed can be cost-effective.

The linear design underpinning The Line is not a new idea. The Spanish urban planner Arturo Soria y Mata developed a “linear city” concept in 1882. This concept allowed great efficiencies in infrastructure (such as water, electricity, gas and transport) by incorporating it along a narrow, linear urban corridor. A key plank of the design was to “ruralise” the city and “urbanise” the countryside.

The Line echoes this concept. However, one wonders about its impacts on the countryside. How might a continuous 500-metre-high mirrored barrier, reflecting the desert heat and light and cutting across the landscape for 170km, affect local biodiversity?

The Line appears to be oriented along an east-west axis. This may be optimal for solar thermal management, but is likely to cast large shadows in mid-winter.

16/01/2023

We’re comparing South Korea’s capital Seoul with our revolutionary new city.

Did you know that can accommodate the same population as with only 6% of its urban space?

15/01/2023

170-kilometer long Saudi Arabia futuristic megacity: The Line

The Line is a humancentric futuristic city concept created by NEOM in Saudi Arabia. The project is considered a revolution for traditional urban life and urbanism. The name of the NEOM combines the Greek word neos (νέος), or new, with the Arabic word mustaqbal (مستقبل) , or future. The first plan of “The Line” was published on January 2021 by Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Board of Directors Mohammed bin Salman.
Concept

The Line was designed for approximately 9 million residents and built a footprint of 34 square kilometers. The cost of the project is $500 billion. Residents will have access to all facilities by walking and a high-speed rail with 20-minute transit. The project was designed with a model where residents can reach the facilities they need by walking for 5 minutes.
The Line location is imagined as a link between the Red Sea coast and northwest Saudi Arabia.

The Line is a part of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision plan. In addition, NEOM said that AI could monitor The Line and find methods to enhance daily living using data and prediction models.
The Line would be powered by renewable energy. According to bin Salman, the entire development will be net-zero and pollution free. According to NEOM, “No roads, cars or emissions, it will run on 100% renewable energy and 95% of the land will be preserved for nature. Unlike traditional cities, people’s health and well-being will be prioritized over transportation and infrastructure. Only 200 meters wide, but 170 kilometers long and 500 meters above sea level.”
Structure

The images of the project show two parallel wall-like constructions enclosing a space between them. According to its planners, The Line will be encased in a mirror façade on the outside, giving it a distinct character. The inside will be constructed to house buildings, layers of public parks, pedestrian spaces, schools, houses, and workplaces. Urbanization develops horizontally, not vertically like traditional urban planning models.

Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the NEOM Board of Directors, “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. The Line will tackle humanity’s challenges in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live.”

According to NEOM’s executive director for urban planning Tarek Qaddumi, NEOM also researches sustainable building materials and methods. Their research continues what they can do to make a city of 9 million people carbon-zero.

The developers refer to the concept as “Zero Gravity Urbanism.” Rising 500-meters above sea level, this construction means walls are planned higher than many skyscrapers like the Empire State building. Urban life in “The Line” has 3-dimensional organization; two derivatives of Zero Gravity Urbanism are Hyper-proximity and Hyper mixed-use. Hyper-proximity city model prioritizes multimodal transportation rather than car-centric design.

According to Tarek Qaddumi, The concept of “Zero Gravity Urbanism” releases us from the limitations of the ground plane and the necessity to demolish it. The “Zero Gravity Urbanism” model enables us to locate functions nearby. This brings up a whole new realm of previously tricky or unattainable adjacencies. For example, a school can be a museum.
Through this project, Saudi Arabia will create 380.000 jobs and ad approx. $50 billion to the country’s GDP.
Critics

The concept generally comes from critics of traditional city design and life quality in big cities. As mentioned before, the footprint of the project is 34 square kilometers. It means less than 4 square meters per person. NEOM calls the model of The Line is an eco-city and carbon-zero, but the scale and social goals create serious questions that the project can deliver on its environment.
Urban Planning and design experts have questions about the sustainability and feasibility of the project for today’s civilization. Can such a megastructure be carbon-zero with today’s technology?

According to Philip Oldfield, head of the built environment school at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), approximately 1.8 million tons of carbon emissions will occur with the materials used to construct such a project. This is more than the annual carbon emissions of many European countries. With today’s technology, unfortunately, it is not possible to make carbon zero for a huge structure by using concrete, steel, and glass.
Regarding biodiversity, the project’s connection with the outside is cut by 500-meter mirror walls. It is not good for the environment (especially for animals) to have huge parallel mirrors in the middle of the desert, even if the birds could fly in and out. Also, the city is defined horizontally. However, it is perceived as a 170-kilometer street with 500 meters high walls and skyscrapers around it; maybe it is horizontal as an urban model but still, the buildings are vertical.

On the other hand, the linear city concept is not new, as represented by NEOM. Firstly, in 1882, Spanish urban planner Arturo Soria y Mata developed it. Also, he is best known for the linear city concept. After Soria y Mata, Soviet planner Nikolay Alexandrovich Milyutin in the 1950s and German functionalist architect Ernst May formulated this concept. Also, In the 1960s, American architects Michael Graves and Peter Eisenman designed a 35-kilometer linear city between Boston and Washington. Just Soria y Mata’s classical linear city idea was implemented in Madrid, Spain.
However, turning these ideas to real-world will significantly win for Saudi Arabia.