NEOM is a futuristic experimental city in Saudi Arabia which reportedly has a cost of $500 billion
The futuristic city of NEOM is the brainchild of Prince Mohammed bin Salman. NEOM is inspired by the Greek word Neo, that means "new," and M, the first letter of the Arab word Mustakbal, meaning "the future."
The project will be spread across 26,500 sq. kilometres on the Red Sea coast. It will be split into ten different regions: a floating port, a ski resort in the Sarwat Mountains, and a mirrored city.
NEOM will have a luxury island destination called Sindalah for tourism, Trojena will be a mountain destination, THE LINE will be the flagship city, and Oxagon will be a centre for clean industries.
By 2026, NEOM is expected to house around 450,000 people, rising to 1.5 to 2 million by 2030. Eventually, THE LINE will be home to nine million residents and built with a footprint of just 34 sq km.
NEOM will feature the world's largest green hydrogen production plant. All energy in NEOM will come from 100% renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen-based power generation.
NEOM's most ambitious plan is to become the world's most food-self-sufficient city by utilising innovative vertical farming and greenhouses. This is significant as the country imports about 80% of its food.
NEOM will have a next-generation mode of transport called a Volocopter. It will also offer direct flights from NEOM to London and Dubai.
Trojena is selected as the Asian Winter Games venue for 2029. It will be located about 50 kms from the Gulf of Aqaba coast, in the Sarwat Mountains, with elevations ranging from 1,500-2,600 meters.
NEOM will reportedly be organised in three dimensions, and residents will have access to all their daily needs within a 5-minute walk neighbourhood. By leveraging AI, services will be made autonomous in NEOM.
NEOM will not have cars, and the streets will have no carbon emissions, making it environmentally friendly. Nearly 20% of the infrastructure work at NEOM is completed according to reports.