Saudi Crown Prince unveils plans for $500bn structure to house 9M people
I doubt it will get built, but they really have people who understand the fundamental concepts behind Arcology. Honestly I'm surprised at how many parts of the design are well thought-out and well adapted to the desert environment. Sunlight from the sides, but not so much that it overheats the city. Heat escapes up. 5-minute walkable neighborhoods. The proximity to services of cities combined with the roominess of suburbs. At least in theory it's the perfect place to live.<p>One thing I'm a bit puzzled about is why so many people here describe this as a dystopia or prison. This is super similar to the old <i>utopian</i> sci-fi designs from the 60s/70s. Sure today it seems a bit dated/naive, but hardly dystopian.