Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets

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An artist's conception of The Line (Credit: NEOM.com)

With over 4.1 billion people, or around 55 percent of the world's population, living in urban areas, cities and towns worldwide are getting increasingly congested. In addition to spending an excessive number of hours stuck in traffic, residents are also exposed to high air pollution levels caused by transportation emissions. Now, Saudi Arabia hopes to revolutionize urban living with "The Line" — a futuristic city designed around nature, without cars and roads!

The radical metropolis, announced on January 10, 2021, is the brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Located in NEOM — a 10,000-square-mile high-tech planned development on the Red Sea coast in the northwestern Saudi province of Tabuk — The Line will be the cornerstone of MBS's Saudi Vision 2030. The multi-trillion-dollar strategic plan, unveiled in 2017, aims to diversify Saudi Arabia's oil-dependent economy into other sectors, like tourism, and create exciting job opportunities for its citizens.

The Line's three levels will ensure that all services are within a five-minute walk (Credit: NEOM.com)

The 105-mile-long city, expected to cost between $100 billion and $200 billion, will be built along a straight line and comprise several self-sustaining communities. To ensure all services are within a short, five-minute walk, each community will feature a three-layer infrastructure.

The top "pedestrian layer" will be void of cars and roads, allowing residents to freely walk and bike in the surrounding green spaces. The second "service layer, will include all essential daily services, such as schools, medical clinics, leisure facilities, and grocery stores. The third "spine layer" will house ultra-high-speed transit and autonomous vehicles capable of transporting residents across communities in less than 20 minutes. The entire city will be powered with renewable clean energy sources such as solar and wind, and possibly even hydrogen.

The Line's self-sufficient communities will be connected via high-speed transit (Credit: NEOM.com)

If all goes according to plan, construction of this groundbreaking, complex infrastructure project will start before the end of the 1st quarter of 2021. In addition to providing up to a million residents with a clean and stress-free living environment, The Line is expected to create 380,000 new jobs, jumpstart economic diversification, and contribute an astounding $48 billion to Saudi Arabia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030. More importantly, MBS believes it will provide governments worldwide a “blueprint for how people and planet can co-exist in harmony.”

Resources: Neom.com, designboom.com, Businessinsider.com

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Morjaria, Daksha. “Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets.” DOGObooks, DOGO Media, Inc., 19 Jan, 2021, www.dogonews.com/2021/1/19/saudi-arabia-announces-the-line-a-zero-carbon-city-with-no-cars-or-streets. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

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Morjaria, Daksha. “Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets.” DOGObooks, DOGO Media, Inc., 19 Jan, 2021, Web. 19 Dec. 2024.

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Morjaria, D. (2021, January 19). Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets. Retrieved 2024, December 19, from https://www.dogonews.com/2021/1/19/saudi-arabia-announces-the-line-a-zero-carbon-city-with-no-cars-or-streets

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Morjaria, Daksha. “Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets.” DOGObooks. January 19, 2021. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://www.dogonews.com/2021/1/19/saudi-arabia-announces-the-line-a-zero-carbon-city-with-no-cars-or-streets.
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162 Comments
  • goldengal
    goldengalalmost 4 years
    Quick question: Where are the houses? Are they located on the "pedestrian layer" or the "service layer?" Also, wouldn't it be a tiny bit depressing to live most of your life underground with only artificial light sources? I always hate it when it's really cloudy and I only have artificial light.
    Reply
    • dadima101
      dadima101almost 4 years
      i think that they would live one the pedestrian level bc the solar panels? and doors?
      Reply
    • therealusername
      therealusernamealmost 4 years
      That would be a great idea except if somebody tries to hurt others or there is a virus in the technology.
      Reply
      • yellowsmily_10
        yellowsmily_10almost 4 years
        Oh this would be awesome, we could save milions of inocent lifes
        Reply
        • g-maxhydrosnype
          g-maxhydrosnypealmost 4 years
          dang that's cool
          Reply
          • acornyo101
            acornyo101almost 4 years
            Yesss!!!! More Honey badgers, Leopards,(both EXTREMELY dangerous), Arabian Oryx(Extremely endangered), Fennec fox and Sand Cats to trek the desert!!! Woo i love them
            Reply
            • pro_jmb16
              pro_jmb16almost 4 years
              That would be great! I would love to walk 5 mins to places like school! plus no cars, no roads, and no getting run over by cars! WOO WOO
              Reply
              • teck
                teckalmost 4 years
                WOW! SO COOL!!
                Reply
                • obiwonjacobi
                  obiwonjacobialmost 4 years
                  wow, that's amazing, I want one!
                  Reply
                  • obiwonjacobi
                    obiwonjacobialmost 4 years
                    I think that would be a great idea but you would, I think stop global warming, a little
                    Reply
                    • astatine
                      astatinealmost 4 years
                      i would like to live in one
                      Reply

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                    Generate citations in MLA, APA, & Chicago formats

                    MLA8

                    Morjaria, Daksha. “Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets.” DOGObooks, DOGO Media, Inc., 19 Jan, 2021, www.dogonews.com/2021/1/19/saudi-arabia-announces-the-line-a-zero-carbon-city-with-no-cars-or-streets. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

                    MLA7

                    Morjaria, Daksha. “Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets.” DOGObooks, DOGO Media, Inc., 19 Jan, 2021, Web. 19 Dec. 2024.

                    Chicago

                    Morjaria, Daksha. “Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets.” DOGObooks. January 19, 2021. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://www.dogonews.com/2021/1/19/saudi-arabia-announces-the-line-a-zero-carbon-city-with-no-cars-or-streets.

                    APA

                    Morjaria, D. (2021, January 19). Saudi Arabia Announces "The Line" — A Zero Carbon City With No Cars Or Streets. Retrieved 2024, December 19, from https://www.dogonews.com/2021/1/19/saudi-arabia-announces-the-line-a-zero-carbon-city-with-no-cars-or-streets

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