Neom has been described as the next chapter for humanity. But how many migrant workers will die building the new city with flying taxis and robotic butlers?
By Sam Kunti and Andreas Selliaas
Imagine strolling from your ultra-luxury hotel in a district of The Line, the futuristic linear city that will ‘reimagine life’ in Neom, Saudi Arabia, to a World Cup match in a 46,000-capacity state-of-the-art stadium built more than 300 metres above sea level "to stand out among the world’s most iconic landmarks.” That’s what Saudi Arabia and crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) have promised Fifa and the world.
Tabuk, a provincial city that hosts a military base, serves as the gateway to Neom. Through a magnificent and unspoiled mountain range that combines elements of a moonscape and the Grand Canyon, the highway swerves toward the Red Sea where a flurry of activity, with cranes and lorries, reveal the biggest construction site in the world. Here a vast desert expanse the size of Belgium must be transformed into MBS’s vision 2030. The Line, a 500 billion-dollar, 170-kilometre long sci-fi city, will serve as the centrepiece of both Neom and modern-day Saudi Arabia. Promising to be the next chapter for humanity, The Line will incorporate AI, be car-free and carbon-neutral with flying taxis and robotic butlers to enhance ‘unmatched liveability’.
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