00:00You find yourself in the middle of a huge empty desert in Saudi Arabia.
00:05Yet, in the heart of this void, two mirroring skyscrapers rise side by side, perfectly parallel.
00:12This is not a simple futuristic vision, but The Line, the most daring urban project ever undertaken by the kingdom.
00:24Saudi Arabia is already the cradle of some of the most ambitious architectures in the world.
00:29From the financial district of King Abdallah in Riyadh to the imposing towers in Braj Al Bait in Mecca,
00:35the country is multiplying spectacular achievements.
00:39But The Line plays in a completely different category.
00:42Announced in 2021, this project is part of a larger initiative called NEOM.
00:48A mega project worth 500 billion dollars aimed at transforming the way people live, work and interact with their environment.
00:57After all, what could go wrong?
01:00Difficult to say, but the recent departure of Nadmi Al Nazer, who led this long-term project, raises doubts.
01:07Especially since a NEOM statement published just after did not advance any credible explanation on its subject.
01:13Originally, the cost of the The Line project was estimated at about 200 billion dollars.
01:21But in 2024, this amount literally exploded, reaching the dizzying figure of 2000 billion dollars.
01:29An amount equivalent to almost double the GDP of Saudi Arabia.
01:33And according to independent analysts, this bill could still get heavier.
01:37Initial ambitions foresaw the construction of about 16 km of the project and the installation of 1.5 million inhabitants by 2030.
01:45But these projections have been considerably rejected.
01:49Now, just over 2 km could be completed in this time, with less than 300,000 residents.
01:56The site was slowed down by many obstacles, between technical challenges and management difficulties,
02:02leading to major delays and a much slower progress than expected.
02:06Let's now see what The Line really is.
02:09It is an entire city encapsulated in two parallel skyscrapers 500 meters high, surpassing almost all the tallest buildings in the world.
02:17These colossal structures, 200 meters wide, extend over a dizzying distance of 170 km in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea.
02:29The most impressive? The whole city is held in this single structure.
02:33No cars, no roads, no polluting emissions, but we will detail these aspects later.
02:39This gigantic complex is designed to accommodate 9 million inhabitants, while functioning exclusively thanks to renewable energies.
02:46A project perfectly aligned with the 2030 vision plan of Saudi Arabia.
02:52The exterior of the skyscrapers will be entirely covered with mirrors, reflecting the surrounding desert landscape for an almost perfect integration with its environment.
03:02Inside, we will find luxurious gardens, waterfalls, flying taxis and even assistant robots charged with daily tasks.
03:10The city's designers even consider integrating an artificial moon there.
03:15One of the most unique aspects of The Line lies in its spatial organization.
03:20Unlike conventional cities that extend horizontally, this one adopts a vertical structure.
03:26Housing, offices, parks, schools and shops are superimposed on different strata, thus reducing the need for long trips.
03:36The designers ensure that all amenities will be accessible in less than 5 minutes of walking, wherever you are.
03:44Although its footprint on the ground is reduced, this vertical structure allows 9 million inhabitants to be accommodated while preserving green spaces, natural areas and modern equipment.
03:56A climate control system is also planned, maintaining a pleasant temperature throughout the season, both inside and outside, despite the extreme desert conditions.
04:07Of course, even if everything is within reach, it will still be necessary to move around the city.
04:13Rest assured, The Line has everything planned and in the most avant-garde way possible.
04:19A high-speed train will connect the two ends of the city in just 20 minutes.
04:24In other words, it will cover 170 km with only 4 stops on the way.
04:30Imagine being able to cross the whole city faster than it takes to drive through a car agglomeration today.
04:37In addition to the train, The Line will also integrate autonomous vehicles.
04:41These cars and shuttle buses will run without a driver thanks to advanced technologies, taking care of both parking and obstacle avoidance.
04:50Even more impressive, each vehicle, train and infrastructure will be interconnected via a huge network called Internet of Things.
04:59Thanks to sensors and real-time data, traffic can flow smoothly, thus limiting delays and reducing congestion.
05:07The NEOM project was first mentioned in 2017.
05:11In addition to The Line, it also includes a floating industrial city in the shape of an octagon and a luxurious ski resort.
05:18This is where Saudi Arabia will host the Winter Asian Games in 2029.
05:23In addition, the region will house the largest green energy plant in the world, guaranteeing its autonomy and durability.
05:31The goal of NEOM is to attract residents from all over the world, not only to stay there, but to establish themselves there for a long time.
05:38Residents will even have a specific kind. They will be called Neomians.
05:43However, some experts in urban planning and architecture have reservations about this project.
05:49The right-of-way layout of the city presents several major drawbacks.
05:54For comparison, in a traditional metropolis like Johannesburg, which covers a much larger area than The Line,
06:01the average distance between two random residents is about 30 km.
06:06However, in The Line, this distance would reach an average of 56 km, or almost double, although the total area is much smaller.
06:15Such a layout could complicate social interactions and make travel tedious, even with a high-speed train crossing the city.
06:24According to the project's promoters, each resident will have access to everything they need in just 5 minutes of walking.
06:31However, some express doubts.
06:34Living stacked in an ultra-compact space could end up being oppressive, even unbearable.
06:40As for the idea of a facade entirely covered with mirrors, if it impresses on digital rendering, it also raises questions.
06:48By intensely reflecting the sunlight in a desert environment, this design could disturb the local fauna or cause unexpected overheating problems.
06:57The Line's technological innovations seem impressive, but they also raise major challenges.
07:04The city is based on the Internet of Things and autonomous vehicles.
07:08An alluring concept, of course, but which raises questions about its practical application in a city of 170 km long.
07:15To guarantee fluid operation, each component, car, train, infrastructure,
07:22must be perfectly synchronized and continuously exchanged massive amounts of data in real time.
07:28However, the slightest malfunction could disrupt the daily lives of millions of residents.
07:34The high-speed train also seems to be a dream.
07:38However, making it function sustainably in a desert is a colossal challenge.
07:43Between the extreme heat, the sand movements, and the accelerated wear of the rails,
07:48frequent delay risks and exorbitant maintenance costs are real.
07:54All over the world, there are questions about the feasibility of the project.
07:58Originally, the first inhabitants had to settle in The Line by 2030.
08:03However, some information suggests that this objective could be reviewed at a later date.
08:08Another issue concerns durability.
08:11The ambition to operate with zero emissions and an entirely clean energy,
08:15but to build such a large infrastructure will require colossal resources.
08:20Faced with these challenges, Saudi Arabia is looking for new financing strategies
08:24and is trying to define which part of the Vision 2030 program should be prioritized.
08:30An expert close to the case recently revealed that some projects would advance as planned,
08:35while others could be reviewed at a later date.
08:38This vision corresponds to the statement of Ali Chihabi, a member of the NEOM Consulting Committee,
08:44who recognized that the Vision 2030 objectives had always been voluntarily,
08:48if not excessively, ambitious.
08:51He estimates, however, that even if only certain elements of the project see the light of day,
08:55this will represent a considerable advance.
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