The Line

HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman; the man with a Musk-like vision to build the city of the future, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince unveiled plans for ‘The Line’.

A series of communities housing a million people, all living without cars and roads, within a 5 minute walk of all necessities, and powered completely by clean energy.

The Line will be located in NEOM, a zone in North West Saudi Arabia, and exist to transform how people should live. Quite simply too much time is spent commuting in cities detached from nature. Research has long advocated for walkable communities. A study out of Columbia University found that children from walkable communities were happier, healthier and richer than their commuter counterparts, even after accounting for the fact wealthier people tend to live in more walkable areas. It’s a sentiment echoed in the real world too. Not many Tweets get this kind of reaction unless they’re speaking a universal truth.

At an estimated cost of US$200b, this environmental utopia will be funded by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund…which has largely accumulated wealth through the sale of oil. Still, it’s an impressive plan. Check it out here.