Exclusive satellite images show Saudi Arabia's sci-fi megacity is well underway
This is a good project. The way we currently run our living spaces is extremely inefficient. We distribute people to many disparate neighborhoods, and - in the case of the US -  <i>gasp</i> suburbs, and then face the problems which having to provide all the infrastructure, supply networks, transportation to those places create. One unmistakable example of this is traffic congestion and how a lot of energy, productivity and even more importantly, the precious time of people are lost while going from place to place, leave aside in congestions. The people are having to do this because it is just how things are, not because it is the best thing that mankind should have been doing.<p>The systems logic that they have in this project makes sense: A more efficient structure would definitely make running a large urban region much more effective. And Saudi Arabia has a lot of flat, uninterrupted, unused space that is largely outside the earthquake, storm and other disaster zones, so a big linear structure can be easily workable there.<p>The line structure seems to be well calculated - its long, but its very thin. Meaning that they plan to run everything one single, uninterrupted, well, line of infra. Which totally makes sense from an engineering standpoint. If it was a vanity project or wasteful indulgence as some claim, the systems side of this would not be made as simple as this and it would be something more grand. Moreover, the linear building concept that apparently does not seem to inspire anyone judging from the comments, is another evidence that it was chosen for its systems efficiency, and not awe factor or tourism value.<p>Again, its an interesting project. Even if they can pull off a fraction of it and succeed in developing a large, uninterrupted urbanization that is efficient, it can make a great breakthrough in terms of urban technology.