NEOM is a project that started with the idea of creating a sustainable and nature-friendly city in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. In the project, which consists of four different regions: Sindalah, Oxagon, Trojena and The Line, Sindalah is designed as a luxury island in the Red Sea, Oxagon as an industrial enterprise, and Trojena as a facility for mountain sports.
The Line, which will create the urban living space, is the most striking and discussed part of the project. This article will include general information & discussions about The Line Project.
Neom Project/ Image taken from https://www.neom.com/en-us.
The Line Project
The Line can be defined as a city planned to host 9 million people in the NEOM project. Unlike the organic settlement of cities that develop over time, The Line is a city planning with a clear starting point, where millions of people are expected to settle in a few years. The project, planned to be built in the Tabuk region of Saudi Arabia, is expected to be completed by 2025.
The Line, which can be thought of as two lines stretching straight and linear for 170 km, is designed as a city consisting of skyscrapers, 500 m high and 200 m wide. A design in touch with nature is planned, which aims to reduce carbon emissions to zero and use renewable energy sources.
The Line Project/ Image taken from https://www.neom.com/en-us.
Features of the Project
This unique linear form, chosen for a newly established city, makes The Line an internationally notable project. The Line, which shares the same population with Johannesburg, the largest city of the Republic of South Africa, and is expected to cover 2% of the Johannesburg’s area, wants to be an example of a green and sustainable city with a minimum urban footprint.
Transportation within the city is very important to ensure sustainability, which is an effective factor in many decisions taken in the project. It is anticipated that cars will not be used in the city where high-speed train lines are planned to be used. In this way, the areas allocated for parking lots and infrastructure systems can be saved. However, since there will be no cars, service areas must be accessible with a of a 5-minute walk.
The Line Project/ Image taken from https://parametric-architecture.com/
Discussions About the Project
Discussions about the project generally arise from the problems brought by the linear form. The average distance between two randomly selected points in The Line city is 57 km, so everywhere cannot be reached by walking in the city where there are no cars. A line with at least 86 stations is needed for the public transportation vehicle that city residents will use to go from their homes to workplaces, schools and hospitals, to operate for 170 km. This extends the completion time of the line, and when the transportation time to the stops is taken into account, the time spent between people's homes and workplaces exceeds 60 minutes. In addition, such a settlement reduces the possibility of encounters and interactions between city residents and creates a society that is distant from each other.
Possible View of The Line Project / Image taken from https://parametric-architecture.com/
Researchers who have conducted detailed studies on the subject state that the most appropriate design for a city designed for this purpose will be a circular form. With circular layout, the average distance between two different points decreases to 2.9 km and the need for high-speed trains disappears. With this layout, called The Circle, it is possible to create a design that consumes less energy, without changing the surface area covered.
Although The Line is a project with many important points in terms of sustainability, it is also a design where many negative situations may occur. Therefore, the project brings with it many different opinions and discussions.
Resources
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00115-y
