The (Other) Line: A Subversive Counterpoint to NEOM’s Mirrored City

AI-DA’s (Other) Line presents a stark contrast to the futuristic urban landscape envisioned by Saudi Arabia’s NEOM. While NEOM’s THE LINE promises a city of 100% renewable energy, devoid of machines and pollution, AI-DA’s (Other) Line is a brazen, AI-generated cityscape that cannot help but reveal its true nature by replacing the natural landscape with a congested and busy infrastructural line.

The (Other) Line is an antithesis to the eagerly anticipated THE LINE, which has been presented as a mirrored cognitive city stretching across 170 kilometers. It towers 500 meters above sea level but spans a land-saving 200 meters wide, redefining the concept of urban development and what cities of the future will look like. No roads, cars, or emissions, it will run on 100% renewable energy and will eventually accommodate 9 million people. Within its footprint of just 34 square kilometers, residents can access all daily essentials within a five-minute walk, in addition to high-speed rail – with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.

The data reveals that the approximately 300,000 people expected in the 2.4 km to be built by 2023 would be sufficient to entirely accommodate the so-called ultra-high-net worth individuals (UHNWI), i.e., the 243,060 individuals (2022 data) with higher investable assets to 10 million dollars or that 0.005% that controls 5.5% of the world’s wealth. Referring overall to the overall population envisaged by the initial project (9 million), the construction of THE LINE could entirely accommodate the 59.4 million people (1.1% of the world population who control 45% of global wealth (for a total of approximately 208 trillion dollars).

Securing citizenship in this city of the future designed by the most exclusive names in international architecture will be a privilege reserved for a few, but even more interesting are the indications that come from observing its design. All the elements underlying the experiments of the early 20th century to respond to the housing needs of the working class and the efficient and democratic development of the city are overturned in this ideal city of luxury.

The intensive use of land which was supposed to guarantee the maximization of collective and recreational space instead becomes extreme privatization and control of the same, transported within the line, delimited by the 2 skyscraper walls and removed from public function and ownership. Outside, only the desert remains to guarantee the inaccessibility of this oasis of modernity and happiness to the many who will remain excluded from it. But then where will those 2.8 billion people (53%) live who have only 1.2% of the world’s wealth?

AI-DA’s (Other) Line is a subversive counterpart to NEOM’s mirrored city, a reflection of the stark contrast between the promises of a utopian future and the harsh realities of inequality and exclusion. It challenges the notion that technology and innovation are the keys to a better future, instead highlighting the need for a more inclusive and equitable approach to urban development.