The Line, Saudi Arabia

The Line (stylised THE LINE; Arabic: ذا لاين) is a planned smart city in Neom, Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia, to be housed in a single very long building—a linear settlement—that is designed to have no cars, streets or carbon emissions. The plan is for the city to span 170 kilometres (110 mi) at a height of 500 m (1,600 ft) and a width of 200 metres (660 ft), sized to accommodate a population of 9 million, 25% of Saudi Arabia's 2022 population of 35.5 million. The Line is planned to have an entirely glass mirror exterior, with all basic services within a five-minute walking distance.

The plan was announced in 2021. Saudi Arabia stated that it aimed to complete a 5 km (3.1 mi) central segment by 2030, with completion of the full 170 km (110 mi) project in 2045. In 2024, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported that the first phase would only be 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long; Saudi officials denied this and stated that the project was continuing as planned.

In 2024, after US$50 billion had been spent, the project was reported to be facing problems of large cost increases, many long delays, and a possible lack of the critical mass of inhabitants needed to make the city a modern business hub. The aim had become to complete the first half-mile section in 2034. The Wall Street Journal said that a 2023 draft board presentation estimated completion in 2080 at a cost of $8.8 trillion—25 times the annual Saudi budget—and $370 billion by 2035 for the first phase, mostly funded by the Saudi state, with the hope of later private investment, though a plan spokesperson said that the figures quoted were misrepresented and incorrectly interpreted.

The city is one of the five announced regions of Neom and is a part of Saudi Vision 2030 project.