CONTRIBUTING TO THE MOST CHALLENGING PROJECT ON THE PLANET: NEOM THE LINE, SAUDI ARABIA

The Line at NEOM is controversial: a hotbed of innovation for some, and dismissed as audacious by others. Being involved on the client side, with the chance to rethink the fundamentals of successful urban planning for what could be the world’s most prominent project was an irresistible intellectual challenge.

Stretching 170 km long and 200m wide, The Line aims to accommodate around 9 million people within a mirror-clad structure, carefully designed to blend into the desert landscape. The role involved developing planning assessment tools and critique frameworks to guide architect-led designs, challenging conventional notions of urban development, scale and urban design orthodoxy. The advisory work on this project, in collaboration with the dedicated team at Buro Happold, necessitated a deep dive into the essence of urbanism, from redefining density to fostering well-being in a futuristic cityscape, to economic life without the need for private cars. The goal was to envision a lifestyle mainly indoors, in vertical neighbourhoods, integrated into both physical and virtual environments—a concept called the ‘multiverse.’ This challenge involved grappling with fundamental questions of urban planning, such as balancing land use, promoting well-being, and anticipating future changes within a fully realized urban structure boasting striking architectural forms.

Key achievements included developing a bespoke strategic planning assessment framework and leading workshops and design reviews with exceptionally creative architects, all within the backdrop of an immensely challenging setting.