NEOM - The Line
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Some changes of designer and options for how "The Line" will work seem to be afoot.

Saudi Arabia adds Morphosis to project team for its NEOM smart city megaproject

The Line, as the car-free linear city that will form the backbone of Neom is known, could cost up to $200 billion to build, the prince said last year, though that was before the plan changed to include gigantic horizontal buildings. The buildings would be “different heights as you go,” adapting to the landscape, with their final size determined by engineering considerations and the terrain, Al-Nasr said. — Bloomberg

The OPEC nation has thus far been mum as to the new plan’s details but says it will be funded in part through an increase in surplus revenues overseen by the Public Investment Fund, which is managed by NEOM’s CEO Al-Nasr. It is yet unclear whether Bechtel, who previously signed on their servicesfor the then-estimated $500 billion venture’s light rail and utility systems, will remain on for the project’s updated version, wherein Morphosis and designer Thom Mayne will deliver two parallel 1,640-foot-tall structures said to stretch from the Red Sea into the desert ar lengths of up to half a mile.

Source: https://archinect.com/news/article/150313291/saudi-arabia-adds-morphosis-to-project-team-for-its-neom-smart-city-megaproject

THE LINE: Work begins on Saudi Arabia’s 170-km vehicle-free city

Saudi Arabia has started construction on a unique 170-kilometer (100-mile) pedestrian-friendly city designed in a perfectly straight line that will link the Red Sea coast with the mountains and upper valleys of the kingdom's northwest.

The city project, aptly named THE LINE, is designed in layers, with a nature-friendly, vehicle-free top layer for pedestrians only and two subterranean levels for infrastructure and ultra-fast transportation.

The linear metropolis’s layout will offer all of the residents’ daily needs within a five-minute walk, and the subterranean levels will connect four regions with a maximum 20-minute commute with the aim of developing the kingdom’s remote northwest Red Sea coast by creating a state-of-the-art tech hub.

In an interview with Bloomberg, NEOM CEO Nadhimi al-Nasr said the project is “a huge undertaking” in its beginning stages, with around 1% so-far complete.

Source:
https://www.dailysabah.com/business/economy/the-line-work-begins-on-saudi-arabias-170-km-vehicle-free-city

A glimpse into the future of mobility. Florian Lennert, Head of Mobility at #NEOM, discusses what that future will look like on THE LINE at NEOM through exciting and sustainable innovations that will transform the way to get around in communities with no cars and streets.

Video has been removed - link: https://youtu.be/uHGL7mZdd3k

Watch Antoni Vives, Chief Urban Development Officer at #NEOM discussing how walkability forms part of the DNA of THE LINE. In his interview, Vives comments on how THE LINE is a human, livable model of urban design, free from the legacy infrastructure that today's cities are bound by, allowing people and planet to live in harmony.

This week, Neom’s president of technology and digital, Joseph Bradley, describes his vision for the futuristic city. “What you’re going to do is way more valuable than what you’ve done,” he tells co-host Kelsey Warner, describing how artificial intelligence will underpin some of the biggest plans for the $500 billion megaproject. “The power of prediction creates new and exciting possibilities.”

It is the first interview with Mr Bradley since Neom’s chairman, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, announced plans for The Line – Neom’s first major development to be brought forward within the city. The 170-kilometre network of communities will be connected by subterranean passenger and freight transport networks, removing the need for cars and roads at ground level. Listen to Mr Bradley describe daily life for what he calls “Neomians”.

Watch Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of #NEOM reflect on NEOM’s incredible journey since 2017 and how THE LINE will introduce a never-before-seen approach to urban planning that will have an impact for many years to come.

Importantly he says that 2021 will bring the announcement of a full masterplan and announcements of the regions they are building.

Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans for THE LINE, a 170 kilometer (106 mile) belt of communities connected without the need for cars or roads. described as ‘a revolution in urban living’, the project has been put forward as a blueprint for how people can co-exist in harmony with the planet. THE LINE will be completely free of cars and streets, with residents given access to nature and all of their daily needs within a walking distance of five minutes. furthermore, the team behind the project says that the linear development of hyper-connected AI-enabled communities will be powered by 100% clean energy.

Status: Announced