End of the Line? Saudi Arabia to scale back plans for desert megacity

Predictability and purpose of NEOM/The Line

• Many commenters say the scaling‑back was entirely predictable; the full scheme was seen as physically, financially, and administratively impossible at the announced scale.
• The project is widely characterized as a vanity or “ego” project of an unelected ruler in a quasi‑absolute monarchy, where no meaningful independent “sign‑off” exists.
• Several argue that such megaprojects mainly serve to transfer cash to regime supporters, launder money, and generate contracts for politically connected firms, not to build a viable city.
• A minority view frames it as a technological experiment that could produce useful engineering knowledge (e.g., materials, modular construction), even if the overall vision fails.

Urban design of a linear city

• Strong consensus that a linear city is geometrically and logistically inferior to roughly circular/disk‑like cities: average and worst‑case travel distances are far larger for the same area.
• Multiple comments run through simple distance and transit‑time calculations showing how a 170 km line is inherently bad for everyday mobility, even with fast express trains.
• Some note modest real‑world “line‑like” examples (e.g., cities organized around a long main street) and find the aesthetic appealing, but others point out those cities still expand into blobs.
• Authoritarian advantages are noted: a linear form can serve as a controllable choke point and can be segmented easily during unrest.

Human rights, labor, and ethics

• Commenters highlight executions and harsh sentences against tribes opposing the project, plus broader repression, public punishments, and criminalization of dissent and unbelief.
• There is extensive discussion of migrant worker exploitation and modern slavery in Gulf states, with comparisons to other regions’ hidden labor abuses.
• Some see the project’s collapse or shrinkage as morally satisfying, others reject framing it as “karma” relative to killings.

Energy, environment, and technology

• Debate over whether desert cities powered by vast air‑conditioning are sustainable; issues raised about desert solar (heat, sand, storms) and nighttime demand.
• Some discuss speculative passive cooling schemes (deep seawater, thermal mass) and backup power, while others question their practicality at the proposed length.

Economics, corruption, and diversification

• NEOM is placed in a pattern of Gulf prestige projects: ski resorts, giant cubes, prior Saudi “economic cities,” etc., many under‑delivering.
• One line of argument: megaprojects are used to bootstrap non‑oil sectors and local capabilities by forcing big infrastructure builds; critics call this a post‑hoc rationalization and say a “sensible” megaproject would do that better.
• Comparisons with Dubai/UAE: seen as somewhat more diversified and competent, though still heavily dependent on oil‑derived capital and migrant labor.

Cultural and political debate

• Thread repeatedly veers into moral relativism vs. universalism: whether Western societies can legitimately criticize Gulf autocracies given their own histories and current abuses.
• Some emphasize universal human rights (e.g., against slavery, executions for apostasy); others stress Western hypocrisy and selective outrage tied to energy dependence.