JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — 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 Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
اضافة اعلان
The parallel structures of mirror-encased
skyscrapers extending over 170km, known collectively as The Line, form the
heart of the
Red Sea megacity NEOM, a plank of Prince Mohammed’s bid to
diversify the Gulf state’s oil-dependent economy.
First 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.
In a presentation Monday night, Prince Mohammed
sketched out an even more ambitious vision, describing a car-free utopia that
would become the planet’s most liveable city “by far”.
Analysts noted, though, that plans for
NEOM have
changed course over the years, fueling doubts about whether The Line will ever
become reality.
NEOM was once touted as a regional “Silicon Valley”,
a biotech and digital hub spread over 26,500sq.km.
Now it’s a vehicle for reimagining urban life on a
footprint of just 34sq.km, and addressing what Prince Mohammed describes as
“liveability and environmental crises”.
“The concept has morphed so much from its early
conception that it’s sometimes hard to determine its direction: scaling down,
scaling up, or making an aggressive turn sideways,” said Robert Mogielnicki of
the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
Population boom
Officials had earlier said
NEOM’s 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.
The 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’s biggest crude exporter, an
economic powerhouse.
The goal for 2030 is to have 50 million people —
half Saudis and half foreigners — living in the kingdom, up from roughly 34
million today.
By 2040 the target is 100 million people, he said.
“That’s 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?”
The site will be powered by 100 percent renewable
energy and feature “a year-round temperate micro-climate with natural
ventilation”, a promotional video released Monday said.
Past environmental pledges by the kingdom, such as a
vow to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, have sparked skepticism from
environmentalists.
NEOM is well-positioned to harness solar and wind
energy, and plans are also afoot for the city to host the world’s largest green
hydrogen plant, said Torbjorn Soltvedt of risk intelligence company Verisk
Maplecroft.
“But the feasibility of NEOM as a whole is still
unclear given the unprecedented scale and cost of the project,” he said.
Finding funds
At just 200m wide, The Line
is intended to be Saudi Arabia’s answer to unchecked and wasteful urban sprawl,
layering homes, schools, and parks on top of each other in what planners term
“Zero Gravity Urbanism”.
Residents will have “all daily needs” reachable
within a five-minute walk, while also having access to other perks like outdoor
skiing facilities and “a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20
minutes”, according to a statement.
Though NEOM will operate under its own founding law,
which is still being prepared, Saudi officials say they have no plans to waive
the kingdom’s alcohol ban.
An 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.
NEOM said Tuesday it would create 380,000 jobs by
the end of the decade “whilst providing the ultimate work-life balance”.
The “first phase” of the project, lasting until
2030, will cost 1.2 trillion Saudi riyals (roughly $319 billion), Prince
Mohammed said.
Besides government subsidies, potential sources of
funding include the private sector and an initial public offering for NEOM
expected in 2024, he said.
Securing the necessary financing remains a potential
challenge, though the current climate is more favorable than during the
coronavirus pandemic that lowered oil prices.
“But funding is only part of the equation ... demand is
harder to buy, especially when you’re asking people to be part of an experiment
on living and working in the future,” Mogielnicki said.
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