Saudi Arabia unveils plans for vast 'vertically layered' buildings in zero-carbon city NEOM

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: The projected zero-carbon city of NEOM being built in Saudi Arabia will have vertical layers of buildings for work, living, and leisure stretching 170 kilometers into the horizon, the kingdom's crown prince said on Monday in remarks carried by state media.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared that the project will lead to seismic changes in the way people will live in the future on "100 percent renewable energy" in an "environment free from roads, cars, and emissions".

The prince first unveiled plans for "The Line" in January 2021, the first major construction project for the $500 billion NEOM business zone aimed at diversifying the economy of the world's top oil exporter.

The city, 200 metres wide and running on "100% renewable energy," will also include a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes. It will eventually accommodate 9 million residents, state news agency SPA cited him as saying.

"The city's vertically layered communities will challenge the traditional flat, horizontal cities," the prince said. "The designs of The Line embody how urban communities will be in the future in an environment free from roads, cars and emissions."

The prince had said last year that the project's infrastructure would cost $100 billion to $200 billion. SPA did not provide any updated figures.

The kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, is the cornerstone investor in NEOM, a 26,500-square-km (10,230-square-mile) high-tech development on the Red Sea with several zones, including an industrial and logistics areas, planned for completion in 2025.