Smart Infrastructure

How building cities vertically helps preserve nature and improve wellbeing

Nature and biodiversity are the building blocks of our world. Without them, we would not be able to feed ourselves, develop medicines, or grow our economies. Nature is the essential bedrock of everything we hold dear – we simply cannot survive without it. Given that we are experiencing the largest loss of life since the dinosaurs, it is clear that we need a monumental shift in our relationship with the natural world.

And how we design, build and live in our cities is central to this.

Man-made encroachment on nature – often due to urban sprawl – has multiple negative effects: it pollutes and poisons soil, rivers and lakes; it exacerbates the climate crisis as valuable carbon sinks, such as wetlands and forests, are destroyed; it increases wildfires, desertification and floods; and ultimately it makes the world less healthy, resilient and safe. Indeed, we only have to look back to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, an example of a zoonotic disease – which sees disease jump from animals to humans – to understand the profound risks we take when unchecked urban sprawl meets a collapsing natural world.

Yet these facts, while stark, also present us with the opportunity to do something new, to reevaluate how our cities interact with the natural world. THE LINE does that in remarkable fashion: it not only puts nature at its center, but it also provides a blueprint for other cities to follow.

Rehabilitating Nature

THE LINE is located in NEOM, a region in Saudi Arabia’s temperate northwest, that is home to both beaches and snow-capped mountains, as well as a number of remarkable species – from the endangered green sea turtle and majestic sooty falcon. There is also an array of native plant species.

As part of NEOM’s regreening initiative, more than 100 million native shrubs, trees and grasses will be planted by 2030, while 1.5 million hectares of land will be rehabilitated through increased vegetation cover. These actions will not just provide a home for wildlife, they will reduce the effects of flooding and desertification, and lower surface temperatures.

The most striking thing about THE LINE is of course, its footprint. Only 200 meters wide, but 170 kilometers long and 500 meters high, it will have a footprint of just 34 square kilometers and yet eventually be home to nine million people. To put that in perspective, that’s the population of New York City – which has a footprint of 783 sq km.

As NEOM Urban Planning Executive Director Tarek Qaddumi says: “We often talk about the shape of the line and what the line is as an object. But in fact, I think what THE LINE is, is the space that it leaves behind. And if you think of it in that respect, then actually 95% of the design is leaving nature.”

That reduced footprint not only increases efficiencies, but it also leaves space… room for plants, animals and biodiversity to thrive. Urban sprawl not only reduces the land available for nature, it also increases water and air pollution, both of which have a profoundly negative effect on the natural world and human health.

Enhanced Living

The wellbeing of NEOM’s inhabitants will also be enhanced, due to minimal air pollution. No cars, no choking fumes, no gridlock. Given that 99% of the world’s population currently breathes unhealthy air, that is no small thing. The integration of nature and open spaces throughout will further enhance air quality.

Another benefit of a car-free city is that the grinding commute is a thing of the past. Everything will be accessible within a five-minute walk. That means more time with family, more time with friends and more time to enjoy nature.

And nature will be close at hand. Residents will never be more than a two-minute walk from greenery, with open green spaces suspended on multiple levels. Those who want to travel further afield – maybe from the mountains to the sea – can get there on a high-speed rail line. And with 40% of the world less than six hours away by plane, there is connectivity on a global level too.

At the heart of this is joined-up thinking, something echoed by NEOM’s Chief Urban Development Officer Antoni Vives, a smart city expert and the former deputy mayor of Barcelona. “How can I generate, through variety, a community that is worthwhile living in and that generates creativity, a good economy, and jobs?” he says.

That attention to detail is reflected in the living spaces of THE LINE. These have been designed to promote organic interaction, both between residents and with nature. “We realized that if you are 500 meters tall, there is a spot about 300 meters high we felt was a sweet spot urbanistically and allowed for a place where people could come together and provide a livable public realm,” says Michael Bischoff, design partner at the world-renowned Pei Cobb Freed & Partners architectural firm, who is one of THE LINE’s designers.

Sustainable Innovation

But to truly understand why THE LINE will revolutionize our relationship with the natural world, we need to reflect on just how innovative a vertical linear city is.

In a world where nature is diminishing, a project such as THE LINE seems less like a moonshot than a necessity. It answers questions that need to be asked. How can we build better cities? How can we cater to a growing population while protecting and restoring nature? How can we move into the future with confidence?

THE LINE provides some compelling answers. And while it promises a revolution in urban living, the project also plans to revolutionize our relationship with nature. And that might be its most important legacy of all.