제 17 호 NEOM Project: Will Future Cities Come True?
Kicker: WORLD
NEOM Project:
Will Future Cities Come True?
by Si-ho Park, Cub-reporter
How will the city change in the future? It might be run on 100% green energy and build on a huge scale in the desert or in the ocean. An imaginary city that seems unrealistic may come true. Saudi Arabia has a specific plan for this future city. It is called the “NEOM city.” Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman envisioned it, as he laid its foundations to be the future, an agent of progress and change. The NEOM city project is a mega project with a total cost of $500 billion. Crown Prince Bin Salman expressed his plan to create a special industrial, residential, and tourism zone in the future to change the oil-oriented Saudi economy. With Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman’s visit to Korea on November 17 last year, the NEOM city project is drawing more attention in Korea.
What is NEOM?
The name “NEOM” is a combination of “Neo,” which means new in Greek, and the first letter “M” of “Mustaqbal,” which means the future in Arabic. The site is about 26,500 square kilometers, about 44 times the size of Seoul, and is currently expected to cost $500 billion. As such, NEOM city is an ambitious project on a very large scale. NEOM city is envisioned to be powered solely by renewable energy, such as solar power and green hydrogen.Saudi Arabia aims to become the world’s largest hydrogen exporter, with an annual production capacity of 4 million tons by 2030.Saudi Arabia also wants NEOM city to be the smartest city in the world, powered by a 5G network infrastructure with cutting-edge technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, robotics, and big data-based machine learning.
The NEOM city project includes a total of four cities, including “Sindalah,” “The Line,” “Trojena,” and “Oxagon.”
“Sindalah” is a luxury island destination in the Red Sea. It is a representative resort in Saudi Arabia with a pleasant climate in all four seasons. You can enjoy various water sports such as snorkeling, water skiing, and scuba diving. It is planned to build various accommodation facilities and yacht anchorage here.
“The Line” is a vertical city with a width of 200m, a height of 500m and a length of 170km that can accommodate up to 9 million people. Mirror walls will be built on both sides of the city, which is planned to allow visitors to feel the natural environment wherever they look. As a city that emphasizes eco-friendliness, The Line will be the world’s first city powered by renewable energy such as wind power, solar heat, and hydrogen. Unlike traditional cities that used to focus on transportation and infrastructure, The Line is designed to focus on people’s well-being and health.
The Line’s schematic diagram (https://www.NEOM.com/en-us)
“Trozena” is a mountain tourism complex and plans to organize various contents. Saudi Arabia’s first outdoor ski resort and artificial lake are planned to be built, making it the venue for the 2029 Asian Games.
Finally, “Oxagon” is an octagonal industrial complex built on the sea. The plan is to operate with 100% clean energy and create 70,000 jobs. In addition, as Oxagon will be built near the Suez Canal, 13% of the world’s trade volume will go through Oxagon. Saudi Arabia plans to foster industries that will take responsibility for the country’s future through Oxagon.
The schematic diagram of the Oxagon (https://www.NEOM.com/en-us)
Domestic Participating Companies
In Korea, many companies are also participating in the NEOM city construction, including Samsung C&T, Hyundai, Naver, KT, and Korea Electric Power Corporation.
Samsung C&T, along with Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., has won a $1 billion order to build The Line underground high-speed railway tunnels. When Crown Prince Bin Salman visited Korea last time, he signed MOUs on green hydrogen and modular areas. An official from Samsung C&T said, “NEOM city related business orders will continue to expand.”
Hyundai Rotem drew attention when it was selected as one of the six major companies that signed MOUs directly with the Saudi government during Crown Prince Bin Salman’s visit to Korea. Hyundai Rotem is expected to cooperate with Saudi Arabia Railways in the NEOM city railway sector in a 2.5 trillion won project.
Hyundai Motor Group also won orders for infrastructure projects with Hyundai Engineering & Construction at the forefront, while Hyundai Modis and Hyundai Motor are competing for orders with self-driving, smart logistics, and urban aviation mobility technologies.
Controversy: Feasibility, Environmental Degradation, and Labor Exploitation
Meanwhile, there are many concerns and criticisms about the NEOM project.First, it is about feasibility and environmental degradation. In the opinion of architects, Neom City has pointed out that it is unconventional, with no geographical or environmental consideration. In the case of the mirror city of The Line, the sun will not reach the lower floors of the building, and the construction of the terrace on each floor will also be difficult. It is also predicted that the overall cost will more than double the plan. The concern is that the environmental conditions of the desert are poor for construction work and could lead to higher costs. Another point of the architects is that Neom City is a city built to use eco-friendly energy, but it rather causes environmental damage. Korean architect Yoo Hyun-joon, the representative of the “Hyunjoon Yoo Architects”, said that a 170-kilometer straight city is almost cutting off the ecosystem in his own YouTube channel.
Criticism of workers' human rights violations has also been raised. The city-building workers in Saudi Arabia often borrow to pay large recruiter fees and find themselves before their first day of work in debt, which they spend the first few years of their employment simply paying off. Under the exploitative sponsorship system known as kafala, migrant workers often have their passports confiscated by employers who subsequently exercise veto power over their workers’ decisions to change jobs or even leave the country. Working conditions for construction workers are often particularly brutal, with long work hours on dangerous work sites in boiling hot temperatures. Saudi Arabia will have to ensure workers' rights and improve the working environment. Envisioned as a model and sustainable city, NEOM will be neither unless it is undergirded by sustainable labor and respect for workers’ rights.
The Neom City project leaves us with room for thought in various areas, including future cities, the environment, and human rights. We should look at this and think about how we should deal with the coming future and what the right way to protect the environment or guarantee human rights is.
Sources:
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/16/business/industry/korea-NEOM-saudi/20221116162813517.html
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/saudi-arabia-the-line-city-scli-intl/index.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/13/opinions/saudi-arabia-neom-workers-eisner-qadri/index.html
https://www.womaneconomy.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=214122
