An urban area with visionary promises of sustainable development, clean energy, and plentiful economic opportunity might sound wonderful, but nothing is ever as wonderful as it seems. And the world’s biggest construction project in Saudi Arabia, a $500 billion Belgium-sized project called Neom, is no exception.
Announced in 2017 with a 2039 opening, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has thrown his weight behind the gargantuan luxury hub and likened it to the pyramids. One report described it as “a built-from-scratch region the size of Massachusetts, typified by sci-fi architecture, an arid ski resort and a laundry list of flashy projects meant to attract a population larger than New York City’s.”
