Nine million people in a city 170km long; will the world ever be ready for a linear metropolis?
▻https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/sep/08/nine-million-people-in-a-city-170km-long-will-the-world-ever-be-ready-f
Saudi Arabia has unveiled designs for a futuristic megastructure in the desert. But it is an idea that has preoccupied the imaginations of architects – and megalomaniacs – for generations
The contemporary city needs a full redesign,” purrs a seductive voice, over surging orchestral strings. “What if we removed cars? What if we got rid of streets? What if everything you needed was always a five-minute walk away?” The words accompany an animation depicting an oblong megastructure sprouting from a desert landscape, slicing through sand dunes and mountains in a continuous urban strip: a city of 9 million people, sealed inside a mirror-clad box. “A 170km revolution in urban living,” the narrator continues, “protecting the Earth’s most stunning nature, while creating unmatched liveability.”
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4ox214YLvw&t=45s