The MegaCity construction known as "The Line" seems to have started in the desert of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Drone footage shot by Ot Sky, an aerial photography company, shows that Saudi Arabia has started building the futuristic megacity, The Line, in the desert of Tabuk despite the long-held assumptions that this was nothing but a utopian fantasy.
The video gives us a glimpse of numerous trucks, excavators, and construction workers digging a trench in the desert. The megacity is part of the NEOM initiative, which aims to build futuristic, tourist-centric smart regions in Saudi Arabia.
The company explains its vision further on its website, adding that NEOM is what the future might look like; The Line is a home and destination for people who want to be a part of something sustainable, smart, and prosperous.
The dream project that’s coming true "The Line"
Vision 2030, the $500 billion NEOM project, is meant to stabilize the Saudi economy and provide it with assistance that doesn’t rely on oil.
To many, NEOM is an impossible dream. To others, it’s the future.
Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, calls this project a revolution that’s based on a radical change benefiting humans. To the project’s leaders, it’s a complex, ambitious project that will be completed.
On the flip side of the coin
Many experts don’t believe in the project. Critics have called this project an unliveable, unrealistic dream that would not be as sustainable as wanted.
Take, for example, Rowan Moore, The Guardian’s architecture specialist, who argues how a megacity of this level could be sustainable when its construction will produce over 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
He also questions the benefit of a city this large in the middle of nowhere that’d be constantly controlled and surveilled. He pointed out that there have been human rights violations due to this prestigious project, where several men were arrested and sentenced to death for protesting their eviction from their homes after their land was seized for the project.
There’s much controversy surrounding The Line, and many doubt it’ll ever really be built. For now, we’ll just wait and see what comes of it.
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