NEOM, The Opulently Controversial City of Saudi Arabia

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s ambitious NEOM city has been gallivanting between appreciation and criticism ever since it was announced. The NEOM region of the Kingdom, from north to south, is strategically divided into economic centres, tourism, and nature destinations. NEOM is home to Trojena, Oxagon, THE LINE and Sindalah. To make it more clear, the project includes a ski spot in mountains where snow peeks up sometimes, a commercial port floating on the Red Sea, a staggering vertical city made of glass walls, and a fancy resort on an island in the Red Sea. In short, NEOM is a $1.5 trillion swanky-city that speaks only in opulence.

Trojena

The mountainous region of Neom is being constructed as a mountain tourism destination called Trojena. It will be home to over 7,000 permanent residents, and aims to attract over 700,000 visitors by 2030. By the year, the region is expected to contribute $800 million GDP (Gross Domestic Product), and create 10,000 jobs. Construction of the project is expected to wrap up by 2026.

Trojena will have a ski village, a variety of restaurants and retail stores, ultra-luxury family and health resorts. It will also offer sports activities such as mountain biking, ski slope, water sports, and an interactive nature reserve.

Oxagon

Now, this is Saudi Arabia’s strategic brain pulling wires. Oxagon is “world’s largets floating industrial city” that is being developed in the southwest corners of NEOM. On other words, at the coast of Red Sea, through which 13 percent of world’s trade pass through. Neatly nestled at the crossroad of three continents, Oxagon will host an integrated port, a logistic centre, and advanced manufacturing facilities.

Oxagon is going to be world’s first and largest fully automated port and integrated logistic hub of innovation. The city is expected to be completed by 2030, and is projected to accommodate over 90,000 people. Half of the city will float on the Red Sea.

THE LINE

THE LINE is Saudi Arabia’s groundbreaking mirrored wonder under construction. Here is the catch, reportedly, THE LINE, a skyscraper-like structure, is going to be a car-free environment. 95 percent of the city, which is expected to accommodate 9 million people, is said to be preserved for nature. Powered entirely by renewable energy, the city will have finishing touches with advance technologies, aiming to enhance the quality of life. It is a vertical city!

To make it short, an urban life stitched with the fabric of greenery. THE LINE is going to be a 100 kilometres vertically layered urban spaces. Vertical transport system will also be developed, planning to make movements through the city efficient and easy.

Sindalah

This Red Sea island is believed to be the mother of all luxury resorts. Designed by Italian studio Luca Dini Design and Architecture, the island is the first in the NEOM to be completed. It is located 5 kilometres off the NEOM coastline in Red Sea. Sindalah is marked as a perfect “getaway to the Red Sea”. Hosting 440 rooms, 88 villas and over 200 serviced apartments, Sindalah features hotels, restaurants, and other venues including Sindalah Yacht Club, all of which scream superlative luxury. In short, Sindalah is a swanky village.

Opening its doors to visitors on October 2024, the island is expected to have over 2,400 visitors by 2028. By 2023, this luxury island is counted on to establish a muscular tourism industry. It is also expected to offer 3,500 job opportunities.

This unprecedented never-before seen project colonised Saudi Arabia’s business heads as a result of the country’s grapple to diversify its economy beyond its oil resources.

The Stumble

However, ever since NEOM was announced, it has also been prey to criticism and scrutiny. With the sudden stepping back of NEOM’s former CEO, Nadhmi al-Nasr, talks against the project intensified. He has been spearheading the construction since 2018, and stepped down without providing reason for the move.

Reuters reported that al-Nasr’s exit was partly due to unmet performance metrics, while reports also uncovered his controversial management style, including threats and derogatory language towards employees. Allegedly, he boasted about treating his employees “like a slave”, and also said that, “When they drop down dead, I celebrate. That’s how I do my projects”. He was replaced by Aiman al-Mudaifer, a senior official from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

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Media reports also suggest that once gloated to be a $1.5 trillion project – which is believed to be dozens of times larger than New York city – cost overruns, and delaying has started to diminish NEOM’s head weight. While it was earlier estimated that the city will house up to 1.5 million people by 2030, current projections shows different figures. It is reported that NEOM may only able to accommodate fewer than 300,000 residents by the said time period. Only 2.4 kilometres of the majestic THE LINE, the 170 kilometre city, will be completed by 2030, as per Denis Hickey, representative of NEOM at Davos World Economic Forum.

Reportedly, to meet-up the financial requirement for this grandiose project, Riyadh’s economy will need oil prices at around $96 per barrel, in order to balance its budget. Squeezing out the country’s financial resources for Vision 2030 initiatives, oil prices are roughly at $24 below the said mark.

The darker side

Saudi Arabia also faces serious accusations of human rights violations behind the construction of NEOM. While announcing the project, Saudi leader Muhammed bin Salman called it “a civilizational revolution that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature”.

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Reportedly, Saudi government’s claim of NEOM being constructed on uninhabited place is tragically inaccurate. The area has been called home of indigenous Howeitat tribe, who has been living there for centuries. As per the report, the Saudi government evicted people from the region, and those who met were met with severe punishments, including death.

At least one activist was reportedly killed, five Howeitat people were sentenced to death, and over 42 others were arrested for refusing to move.

Over 20,000 members of the community were forcible removed from the area, without providing adequate compensation. “The efforts to forcibly displace the indigenous population is one that breaches every norm and rule of international human rights law,” says Sarah Lea Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now, as quoted by BBC.

In 2020, a man named Abdulrahim al-Huwaiti, was shot dead by the Saudi security forces, as he had predicted. He was among those who had refused the eviction order, and posted videos online, speaking out about the situation. While Saudi embassy’s spokesperson in Washington DC, Fahad Nazer disagreed with the allegations of forced removal of the Huwaitat community, he dismissed the killing of al-Huwaitat as a “minor accident”.