Is Saudi Arabia Still Building THE LINE, Its Futuristic Desert Megacity?
THE LINE, the 170-kilometer mirrored megacity cutting through Saudi Arabia’s desert, remains a central piece of the nation’s evolving architectural ambitions. Originally introduced as the boldest urban experiment of the twenty-first century, it envisioned a car-free, carbon-neutral city formed between two parallel walls soaring 500 meters high.
Planned as the structural core of NEOM, the $500 billion development in the country's northwest, the project represented a monumental vision of sustainable design. However, its progress now faces significant challenges as Saudi Arabia reassesses the scale and feasibility of its Vision 2030 megaprojects.
“Officials have acknowledged that the pace and cost of construction have become unsustainable amid falling oil prices and growing budget deficits.”
Recent reports indicate that THE LINE, once expected to extend 170 kilometers across the Tabuk desert, has been narrowed to only a few miles in its initial phase as the government reallocates resources and adjusts its long-term development plans.
Author’s Summary
The ambitious THE LINE project, once a futuristic dream of sustainable urban life, is now being scaled back due to budget pressures and shifting priorities in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plans.