THE LINE is a civilizational revolution that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature.
It redefines the concept of urban development and what cities of the future should look like. No roads, cars or emissions, it will run on 100% renewable energy and 95% of land will be preserved for nature. People’s health and wellbeing will be prioritized over transportation and infrastructure, unlike traditional cities. Only 200 meters wide, but 170 kilometers long and 500 meters above sea level.
THE LINE will eventually accommodate 9 million people and will be built on a footprint of just 34 square kilometers. This will mean a reduced infrastructure footprint, creating never-before-seen efficiencies in city functions. The ideal climate all-year-round will ensure that residents can enjoy the surrounding nature. Residents will also have access to all facilities within a five-minute walk, in addition to high-speed rail – with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.
Unparalleled access to nature
Our progressive design offers immediate and uninterrupted access to nature within a two-minute walk through its diverse open spaces, suspended on multiple levels. Equitable access to pristine views of the surrounding natural landscape, mountains and sky – for all – avoiding urban sprawl thanks to a reduced infrastructure footprint.
Clean Air for everyone
The city will be zero-carbon, through the elimination of carbon-intensive infrastructure like cars and roads. It will operate on 100% renewable energy, including the operations of its industries. The integration of nature and open spaces throughout will serve an important role in purifying air quality.
More time to spend with loved ones
Everything will be accessible within a five-minute walk and an efficient public transport network will offer an end-to-end journey in just 20 minutes. Automated services will be powered by artificial intelligence. Amenities in close proximity will mean residents see family and friends often through spontaneous encounters.
A perfect climate all-year-round
To ensure the establishment of microclimatic spaces, the environment has been carefully designed to allow for an optimal balance of sunlight, shade and natural ventilation. Furthermore, the green open spaces throughout the city will further enhance the comfort for those living, working and visiting here.
Where the best and the brightest live. A place of unparalleled social and economic experimentation – without pollution and traffic accidents – coupled with world-class preventative healthcare, so people will live longer.
Built around humans, not technology. A cognitive city that predicts and reacts to what we need, not the other way round. Zero-gravity living will mean a higher-density footprint creates a richer human experience, and new business opportunities. Some 380,000 jobs will be created by 2030.
Advanced tech planning logistics and modular construction will enable efficient delivery of THE LINE. And the community will live close to, and in harmony with, nature – which will be 95% untouched by urbanization. Our vertical garden city will mean you are always only two minutes from nature.
There hasn’t been a need. If you look at the 20th century cities, most were settlements that became villages, towns and then cities – with an evolution over hundreds of years. They were based around vehicle mobility and eventually large road networks. THE LINE aims to do a number of things.
To deal with the population growth that Saudi Arabia is expecting, Jeddah and Riyadh can only absorb so many people before the infrastructure is maxed out. Therefore, you need a brand new city; without the pollution, congestion, inefficiency, urban sprawl and inequality that traditional cities suffer from.
The world is urbanizing at an incredible rate, with people flocking to existing global cities. This is causing rapid urban sprawl and people are getting further and further away from where they need to work. Spending more money on transport and putting extra buses on the road just creates additional pollution. It’s a never ending cycle. Some of those cities around the world are also at risk of flooding.
If we can solve all of those issues with one solution, why would you build something that looks like what everybody else has already got? This is the way the Kingdom is addressing its responsibility on all of those issues.
The most important thing for us is that we’re building a very large structure in a pristine part of the world. If the building was black, it would stand out. With a mirrored facade, wherever you are looking you will see the land behind you, which will be a natural environment. It will blend in perfectly with the surrounding environment.
THE LINE becomes part of its environment, at one with nature. There are, of course, other benefits in relation to integrating solar panels into the southern wall and so on. And to the hidden marina, it is one of the large activation points of the project – a large marina for all sorts of boats in the leisure and recreational segments. There won’t be any cargo ships, but there will be cruise ships. It will be a cruise hub like Fort Lauderdale in Florida or Montenegro in the Mediterranean.
The Red Sea is a fantastic boating area. And we don’t have tornadoes, we don’t have hurricanes. It’s very stable with great weather and beautiful crystal-clear waters. Plus, in terms of access, we are on the doorstep of Europe.
The mirrored facade will be penetrated by natural light and the canyon [inside of the structure] has been scientifically modelled in a way that makes the most of the sun’s high arc in summer and low arc in winter.
In terms of the vegetation, the things that need light would be where the light is. But not all plants want total daylight. A lot of plants prefer shade or semi-shaded areas. They will be chosen accordingly for where they sit within the plan.
