Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has made public the kingdom’s plans to build a 170-kilometer linear city for a million inhabitants. Car-less and carbon-free, The Line – as it has been named – is part of a larger project called Neom, a sustainable development – first announced in 2017 – to be powered by renewable energies and new technologies including robot workers and flying vehicles.

From the Red Sea coast to the northwest of the country will stretch a belt of self-sufficient settlements. Residents will have everything essential within reach in their respective communities, just a five-minute walk away. The communities will be connected by an underground public transport network run by artificial intelligence, and commutes will be ultra-speedy, with travel time from one end to another a mere 20 minutes. The ambitious operation is to begin this first trimester of 2021.

The Economist: The Line in Saudi Arabia is an urbanist’s dream

Neom, The Line