The Sustainability of 'The Line' in Saudi Arabia

Welcome to this episode of the Meliora podcast Student Takeover Season where we explore a groundbreaking urban development project that's sparked a global debate: The Line in Saudi Arabia. Today, we'll evaluate its sustainability impact, both in the short and long term, through the lens of sustainability.

The Line is located in the Tabuk Province of northwestern Saudi Arabia, stretching approximately 170 kilometres from the Red Sea coast towards the desert interior. It’s a key part of the $500 billion NEOM project, an ambitious venture led by the Saudi Arabians Public Investment Fund.

The structure will be an impressive 200 meters wide and 500 meters tall, housing 9 million residents in a vertical living arrangement and running on 100% renewable energy, with no cars or roads.

This futuristic city promises to revolutionise urban living with its innovative design and sustainability goals and has already ‘attracted significant partners and investors interested in testing and implementing renewable energy technologies, and it is being developed as a test case for sustainable and economically feasible planned cities’

Host: Holly

Guests: Caleb and Ben