Experience the Future in the Desert with Saudi Arabia’s Newest Urban Living

By Marina Renzi

Ever wondered what the future of urban living combined with the ideals of sustainable living look like?

Look no further because Saudi Arabia is busy developing an incredible space for people to grow, flourish, and live right in the crossroads of the world.

The major building development is called “The Line” and it is meant to be a dream destination for all those wishing to live a sustainable lifestyle.

NEOM is the company planning, building, and inventing this new idea of future living and it is so experimental since it has never been done before.

Building a massive project from the ground up is no easy feat, but NEOM is combining fresh thinking with modern standards and architectural style to create the perfect living space.

The NEOM Vision 

The idea behind The Line is to create an area of space that is completely sustainable and eco-friendly, a hub for innovation and business, community-focused, and with human values at its core.

A Visit to NEOM in 2022
By Editor Max Hartshorne

The Line is intended to have 100% renewable energy, which is the main factor for the building project. The environment must be respected and protected, and The Line project is doing just that with the hopes of encouraging different countries and surrounding areas to join forces to create a much safer environment.

Because of Saudi Arabia’s location, it would be the perfect epicenter for major business trade and development.

Since the country is centered at the crossroads of the world, this ideal location would make it perfect for the economy to flourish and to draw in big commercialized technologies and developments to enhance human life.

The Line is completely built from the ground up, so the main idea is to have the entire space be completely walkable from any corner.

Different communities will take residency within the area which will cultivate diversity, expansion, and enhanced progression and thinking.

Lastly, The Line will be human-centered with the human ideals and values at its core. It is designed for people, by people, with the idea that life surrounds humans and not the other way around.

Humans are always the first thought of this project which leads to the thought of convenience being the main focus.

The Future

There are some incredible features that The Line has to offer. For starters, ever sit on a plane longer than 10 hours and feel absolutely terrible once you disembarked from the aircraft?

The Line is ideally situated in the “center of the world” so there would only be a 4-hour flight to reach about 40% of the entire globe. No more long flights for business, vacations, or careers. Anywhere on earth is a short flight away.

Another incredible feature is the fact that the city is integrated with nature, which is not something that you see every day. Even in big cities like New York, the people build through nature, and not around nature.

The idea behind adapting with nature is the thought that humans are happier and healthier with nature. So by restoring our human connection with nature, it will improve our health and grant us a better, more desirable lifestyle.

Alongside nature, the city also plans to be 100% carless. Imagine a city with zero traffic? The Line aims to bring exercise and connection into practice by making the entire space within a 20-minute commute, which will save everyone time and money and will be more efficient and effective in the long run.

What is the Environmental Impact for a Sustainable Life with The Line?

An interesting question that I came across while researching was “What is the environmental impact for a sustainable project of this magnitude?”

The short answer is that the NEOM land will be preserved beforehand in order to enhance the livability for the residence. There is an estimated one million people that will live in this lifestyle so it is important to decrease the environmental impact as much as possible.

There are also very strict codes and controls that the development has to adhere to in order to preserve the nature and climate of the area. While people are at the forefront, so is nature so no harm will come to the beauty and wildlife in the area.

How Is a City with No Cars Possible?

The pedestrian-first approach is new and has never been done before, so how is it even possible when millions of people rely on cars each and every day?

While there will be no cars available, there will be other means of sustainable transportation services. The ease of hop-on, hop-off has never been easier until now. All of the transportation, logistics, utilities, and services that are necessary for a city, will all be available, but along a certain and carefully planned stretch of The Line.

Because of this walk everywhere mentality, the need for major transportation systems and confusing navigation will be a thing of the past. Saudi Arabia’s The Line is only looking toward the future.

Sectors of the City

Like any major area, there are several sectors that make each aspect of the city unique.

There are 14 major sectors of The Line that will make this place even more unique than it already is: design and construction, financial services, media, tourism, water, mobility, food, education, energy, health, wellbeing, and biotech, sport, entertainment and culture, manufacturing, and lastly, technology and digital.

All of these different parts of the city will still be human-focused, sustainable, and incredibly technology-driven in order to improve the quality of life for all of the residents.

Why NEOM and Why Saudi Arabia?

After researching this incredibly futuristic project, the more I think that more major cities should follow suit. The idea of a completely sustainable city that still thrives for business, people, travel, and location is an ideal situation for everyone involved.

The differences between The Line and any other major city anywhere in the world are so obvious and so necessary that it seems like moving to the NEOM vision is a no-brainer.

With the latest technology, community-focused, and business-minded, The Line is the ideal residency option for anyone looking to make a difference for the environment, all while maintaining the certain lifestyle that presents itself today.