Saudi Arabia is going the sagacious way after touting ambition with Neom City. While the plans were picture perfect, execution was a different ball game altogether. The magnum opus $1.5 trillion Neom city of Crown Prince MBS, was the pioneer project of a new way of life that was difficult to envision for ordinary minds and even more difficult to execute. Perpetually evolving plans, cutting down on scale and stature, yet ballooning budgets turned this dream into a costly nightmare, one you could see even without closing your eyes. Still, not one to get bogged down by the burden of unattempted ambition, the Kingdom has recruited top consulting firms to conduct a strategic review of its ambitious plans. With a particular focus on The Line, everything from scale and design to financial viability is on the table, according to Bloomberg.
The Line was planned as a sprawling 170-kilometer futuristic city that had no carbon emissions, no roads, and not even cars, promoting a new way of life, hand in hand with sustainability and serenity, tucked away in northwest Saudi Arabia. The review may or may not make changes to the planned projects of Neom, and the underway projects can continue as planned. Only if changes are recommended will the government and the PIF (Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) step in.
Neom stated, “As is typical with large-scale, multi-year projects, strategic reviews are common practice and occur several times over the course of a major development project or infrastructure program. The Line remains a strategic priority and Neom is focused on maintaining operational continuity, improving efficiencies, and accelerating progress to match the overall vision and objectives of the project.”
It sounds like a very cautious and correct way forward, especially after the humdrum response to another Neom development, Sindalah. The seahorse-shaped island launched last year is the hub of an uninspired atmosphere. It has also been stalled over issues including design flaws, according to Bloomberg.
A strategic review could help streamline development while defining realistic timelines and priorities. With five years remaining until the 2030 deadline, there’s still time to salvage Neom’s promise. And The Line, while the most debated part of the project, could still surprise us. Even a completed section would mark a meaningful win.
