Saudi Arabia’s Dream of a Futuristic Mega-City Collides With Reality

AI Summary

Saudi Arabia's ambitious Neom mega-city project, announced in 2017, is facing a collision with reality as projected construction costs have repeatedly escalated and significant challenges have emerged. The government has decided to scale back or scrap portions of the project, including components like The Line, Oxagon, Trojena, and Sindalah.

Since Saudi Arabia announced plans to develop its Neom mega-project in 2017, it has been widely criticised by architects, engineers, and energy experts for being unattainable. Nevertheless, the Kingdom marched on, commencing works on several parts of its mega-city, including The Line (a 170-km linear city), Oxagon (floating industrial hub), Trojena (mountain ski resort), and Sindalah (luxury island). However, as projected construction costs have risen again and again, and several challenges have arisen, the government has finally decided to scrap…