New pictures show Saudi plan for futuristic mirrored skyscraper megacity NEOM
- Images show Saudi Arabia’s plan to build twin skyscrapers that stretch horizontally for more than 100km
- Kingdom’s Prince Mohammed has ambitious vision to build planet’s most liveable city on the Red Sea coast
The parallel structures of mirror-encased skyscrapers extending over 170km (more than 100 miles), known collectively as The Line, form the heart of the Red Sea megacity NEOM, a plank of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s bid to diversify the Gulf state’s oil-dependent economy.
First announced in 2017, NEOM has consistently raised eyebrows for proposed flourishes like flying taxis and robot maids, even as architects and economists have questioned its feasibility.
In a presentation Monday night, Prince Mohammed sketched out an even more ambitious vision, describing a car-free utopia that would become the planet’s most liveable city “by far”.
Analysts noted, though, that plans for NEOM have changed course over the years, fuelling doubts about whether The Line will ever become reality.
NEOM, a biotech and digital hub spread over 26,500 sq km (10,000 square miles), was once touted as a regional “Silicon Valley”.