Saudi Arabia’s futuristic linear city of Neom is already years behind schedule, with just a small town built to house workers on the construction site
New satellite imagery has painted a less than futuristic picture for Neom, Saudi Arabia’s much-hyped “city of the future.”
As per original plans, a section of this ambitious 110-mile-long urban development was supposed to take shape by 2030, with completion envisaged by 2045. Yet, the most recent snapshots from above suggest a starkly different reality: while a modest settlement has sprung up to accommodate construction workers, there’s scant progress on Neom’s main framework in the past few years.
Images from 2023 showcased extensive groundwork spanning almost the entirety of the megastructure, but fresher pictures indicate a notable dip in action on site. Bloomberg has run reports claiming project blueprints have been downscaled and workforces trimmed – accusations that Saudi Economic Minister Faisal F.Alibrahim staunchly denies.
Conceived by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Neom is envisioned as a colossal dual-block layout meant to wean the Middle-Eastern nation off its oil-addiction and nurture an economy grounded in science and recreation. However, murmurs from individuals linked to Neom hint at aspirations that could be “untethered from reality,” reports the Express.
Expert critiques have also thrown a shadow over the city’s feasibility. The design, dominated by mirrored-glass, could essentially become a “giant greenhouse,” claims University of Greenwich expert Melissa Sterry.
In light of global temperature hikes and a harrowing June 2024 heatwave in Saudi Arabia that claimed more than a thousand lives during the sacred Haj pilgrimage to Mecca, questions loom large about the safety of the futuristic vision called Neom.
Ensuring enough water for roughly nine million people, and sufficient cooling to make the massive structure habitable, are still unanswered issues in the Saudi megacity Neom. It’s now believed the total cost could soar over two trillion dollars, quadrupling initial estimates.
Beatrice Nolan of Business Insider commented on the financial concerns, noting that Saudi Arabia “might be starting to feel some strain at the financial pressure of the project” due to oil price volatility.
At the time of Neom’s announcement in January 2021, the Crown Prince forecasted a $48 billion boost to the economy. However, the anticipated economic uplift is not expected anytime soon.
Industry insiders reckon completing and settling Neom might take a century, despite a more pressing target: a planned stadium high in the developing city, set aside for the 2034 World Cup.
Currently, part of the Crown Prince’s grandiose Vision 2030 likely to meet its schedule, is a canal carving through the desert from central Neom to the sea, creating a “hidden marina”. This mega-project aims to allow the city’s prospective populace to virtually sail from their doorstep into the Red Sea via this channel.
However, the dream of Mohammed bin Salman comes with a hefty human cost. Business Insider claims that thousands of migrant workers have already lost their lives since construction began in 2021, and up to 20,000 residents of villages scattered along the city’s 110-mile stretch have been evicted.
Those who resist relocation by Saudi authorities are arrested on terrorism charges, with three currently awaiting execution. Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti was fatally shot by Saudi security forces after refusing to vacate his home.
The hopeful artists’ impressions of Neon depict a mirrored line of integrated homes, gardens, and workplaces stretching through the desert, signalling a completely new AI-driven lifestyle for humanity. However, current satellite images reveal nothing more than an ugly – and potentially lethal – line in the sand.
