ShortHand: ‘The Line’ - Saudi Arabia’s Futuristic Megacity
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Imagine a building as tall as the Empire State Building, stretching for more than 100km through the Saudi Arabian desert. Inside are nine million people – with robot maids and a giant fake moon – living in self-sufficient pods where everything they need is a five-minute walk.
It’s part of NEOM, a futuristic megacity complex, which the Saudi government has begun building. And if you believe the PR, it’ll be a car-free, carbon-free, utopian existence – the most equitable and sustainable society in human history. But will it happen? And what is the financial (and human) cost? For our first ShortHand back in 2026, we’re looking at the most ambitious and controversial building project ever: The Line.
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Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK1OTQzyiX8
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-59601335
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/saudi-arabia-human-rights-raif-badawi-king-salman
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