These incredible photos show the development of the impressive Saudi Arabian megacity Neom which is set to cost £800 billion.

The project aims to build a solar-powered glass city slap bang in the middle of the desert.

Also known as The Line, it aims to create a 75-mile long futuristic city that prioritises pedestrians and green spaces while minimising environmental impact.

Once completed, it is set to feature towering skyscrapers, an artificial mountain and ski resort, an octagonal floating port, a dedicated swimming lane for commuters as well as a sophisticated AI and robots network designed to serve its uber-rich residents.

Other features include Xaynor, a members-only beach club, which aims to attract ‘a unique community of the most fascinating people in the world’, a luxury golf resort and a series of glass apartments hanging from a giant outcropping in the sand which aim to ‘offer points of connection between humans and nature’.

The project is one of a number of futuristic megacities designed to cater to the 1% in recent years, which have been met with mixed results and reception.

In 2020, the Malaysian government announced their plans to create a futuristic island off the coast of Penang Island, which was said to feature self-driving public transport, canals lined with palm trees and sleek white buildings.

But the project was met with a fierce backlash from local fishermen, who claimed the project would destory their livelihood and decimate the area’s fish population.

To make matters worse, it came hot on the heels of the failure of Forest City, a £78billion project intended to house one million citizens on reclaimed islands which was quickly abandoned and turned into a ghost town.

The government eventually downscaled the plans and compensated the fishermen heavily for their loss of income.

Another futuristic megacity is also underway in Japan, as automotive behemoth Toyota seeks to create a sustainable utopian city at the foot of an active Japanese volcano.

First announced in 2021, Toyota has been hard at work constructing their Woven City just miles away from Mount Fuji on the island of Honshū, with the first of 2,000 anticipated residents now expected to move in before the end of the year. 

Giles Pendleton, COO for The Line, shared images of it from above in response to ‘naysayers’ who doubt the grand plans will ever become a reality.

Images show huge excavation lines stretching for miles etched into the landscape where it is set to be built.

‘Neom is real, part 12,’ Mr Pendleton wrote of the latest snaps where huge mountains of sand can be seen piled up to make space for the planned ‘hidden marina’.

He said: ‘How to answer the naysayers about the incredible work being done in Neom?

‘Show a cross section of the world’s largest building site from the mountains to the sea.

‘Massive excavations on The Line, the future of island resorts on Sindalah and the next generation of ports and logistics at Oxagon.’

Creators hope that nine million people will live in the city which will have two 1,600ft-tall mirrored buildings with outdoor spaces in between, making them the 12th tallest buildings in the world – and third highest in Saudi.

Futuristic design plans include trees climbing over the sprawling metropolis with state of the art architecture in a city that’s supposed to be fully powered by renewable energy.

Mr Pendleton said more than 100 million cubic metres of sand have already been moved.

Bin Salman said he wants the construction of The Line to become as iconic and timeless as the Pyramids of Egypt, as well as ‘putting humans first’.

The prince ambitiously hoped construction would be completed by 2030, but engineers warned it could take as long as 50 years.

He also wants Neom as a whole to create thousands of new jobs and allow the nation to become less reliant on oil for wealth.

Some estimates suggest the overall cost of The Line, which will also be home to a sports stadium 1,000ft above ground, could soar to almost £800bn ($1trillion).

Investment from foreign countries could be a sticking point moving forward, however, as many western countries are continuing to boycott Saudi Arabia over human rights violations.

Neom also faced criticism for forcibly removing tribes from the area, while security forces were accused of shooting dead a resident.

To add to the ethical battles project leaders face, bird experts warned that The Line will be a ‘deathtrap’ for millions of migrating birds.

Conservationists said it will create a deadly barrier for birds migrating between Europe and Africa each year.

‘Birds flying into tall windows is a serious problem, and this is a building that is 500m high going across Saudi Arabia, with windmills on top,’ professor William Sutherland, director of research in Cambridge University’s zoology department, told The Times.

‘It’s also kind of like a mirror so you don’t really see it. So unless they do something about it, there’s a serious risk that there could be lots of damage to migratory birds.’

This article was originally published on February 7, 2024.

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