Construction Starts on Saudi Arabia’s 650-Foot-Wide ‘Smart Linear City’ That Will Run on ‘100 Percent Renewable Energy’

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 18, 2019. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Construction has begun on Saudi Arabia’s dystopian 650-foot-wide and 100-mile-long so-called “smart linear city” in the country’s Tabuk Province, video footage shows.

The footage was released by the Saudi Arabia-based Ot Sky aerial photography company on Oct. 20.

It shows dozens of excavators digging a wide linear trench in the desert to begin laying the foundation of the city, also known as “The Line,” which is the first to be developed as part of the $500 billion Neom city project in Saudi Arabia.

According to its official website, The Line is a “civilizational revolution that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature.” It also “redefines the concept of urban development and what cities of the future should look like.”

The linear city will feature no roads, vehicles, or emissions and will run on 100 percent renewable energy, while 95 percent of the land will be preserved for nature, according to officials.

Built 1,600 feet above sea level, it’s eventually set to accommodate 9 million people who will live in vertically layered communities and be able to access everything within a five-minute walk.

There’s also set to be a public transport network that will enable residents to travel throughout the entire mirror-encased city in just 20 minutes.

Neom is the brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, who first announced the mega-city project in 2017.

‘A Civilizational Revolution’

In a July statement announcing the designs for The Line, the crown prince said Saudi Arabia is “committed to a civilizational revolution that puts humans first based on a radical change in urban planning.”

“We cannot ignore the livability and environmental crises facing our world’s cities, and NEOM is at the forefront of delivering new and imaginative solutions to address these issues,” he said. “NEOM is leading a team of the brightest minds in architecture, engineering, and construction to make the idea of building upward a reality.”

According to the U.N. World Tourism Organization, Neom will also have “the world’s first independent international zone,” its own regulatory framework, and an autonomous judicial system, although the latter will be “subject to independent regulations and legislation.”

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly come under fire from human rights organizations and U.N. bodies over its laws that restrict political and religious expression and human rights violations, including executions, the alleged torture of prisoners and detainees, and unlawful interference with privacy.

The 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the government, has also been tied to the crown prince. However, Saudi officials have rejected any links to the crown prince and Khashoggi’s death, while also denying reports of human rights abuses.