The Line project in Saudi Arabia has drawn serious opposition. It is a planned 100-mile-long city that has received criticism because of its bad impact on workers’ health and nearby communities. Even though it is promoted as a futuristic, sustainable city, troubling reports have emerged about harsh labor practices and forced displacements. Reports have explored that workers often work for 16 hours a day.
This long duty has caused many accidents, and even some employees have lost their lives. Recent reports also highlight that workers’ mental health is impacted badly due to the heavy loads of work.
Furthermore, the report also brought truth into light about concerning reactions from some project leaders. The investigation also explored accusations of corruption and self-serving practices among the leaders of this project. It raises many questions about how the project is being managed.
Furthermore, many villagers also get pressure from the government to move away from their homes. Human rights organizations have severely opposed this displacement because it is a violation of local rights.
The contrast between The Line’s ambitious goals and its social impact reveals deep ethical concerns about the project.
Saudi Arabia, The Line project has caused more than 6000 villagers to leave their homes, according to the report. Those who refused to obey this order received severe punishment and severe consequences. Some of them were sentenced to prison for longer periods and some lost their lives.
The main culprit for all of these loses is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, who introduced this project in 2021. It is part of a plan to build a high-tech city in Tabuk province.
These troubling human rights reports are aligned with Saudi Arabia’s track record of human rights abuses. Due to treating migrant workers poorly, the country has long been criticized. And the same problems are now happening in this new project development.
Major government projects often involve forced relocations worldwide. However, Saudi Arabia’s severe punishments for protesters highlight the strict control it enforces. This raises concerns about the human rights impact of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build a futuristic city through Neom.
For urban renewal projects, the government of the United States has often changed neighborhoods, even though the US has laws to protect private property. This history is crucial when focusing on how Saudi Arabia’s monarchy treats property rights. The nation’s leaders forced villagers to leave their homes and displaced them into new places. It highlights that efforts to complete the modern project can ignore basic rights. This violation of basic rights, makes a grand project seem silly.
Saudi Arabia’s planning for a long, straight city is not proving a good idea when compared to a regular city design.
The majority of cities have a bustling center with stores and services, and as you move farther out, the neighborhoods get calmer. Because the central sections are given more importance, this arrangement facilitates mobility. According to Alain Bertaud, a former World Bank economist, cities function best when they adhere to this pattern, which promotes linkages and growth. The convenience and utility that people require for a satisfying urban life are not found in a long, straight metropolis.
There are significant problems with the urban design of The Line. Because of the constant density of this linear metropolis, residences and facilities are dispersed equally. This strategy, however, disregards fluctuating demand. Peripheral neighborhoods are usually less popular because more people choose to live close to a city’s center. This leads to the underutilization, waste, and vacant status of valuable land adjacent to The Line.
Additionally, every necessary service is within a five-minute walk from each area on The Line. Although this encourages convenience, it restricts how easily homes and businesses may adjust to the changing demands of their occupants. Such inflexibility can impede economic expansion and innovation.
Crucially, individual property owners do not invest their money to shape The Line. On the other hand, places where people are free to build real estate usually prosper. Future citizens’ rights are called into question by The Line’s absence of personal agency. The developers’ obsession with a set vision betrays a lack of consideration for the needs of individuals and is indicative of a concerning trend in urban planning that undervalues community and adaptability.