Futuristic Smart City Envisioned on Red Sea in Saudi Arabia

A futuristic city with “an artificial moon, phosphorescent beaches and flying taxis” is envisioned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia’s border with Jordan, Global Construction Review reported in August, upon announcing developer Neom Co.’s pick for the latest member of the project team — U.S.-based engineering firm Bechtel — in August. A rendering of the “smart city-region” reveals at least four skyscrapers of substantial height and more than 12 shorter buildings served by a transport, power and water infrastructure system designed and built by Bechtel. Bin Salman observed the multi-hundred-billion-dollar plan will serve as a “living laboratory and hub for innovation.” Included is the world’s largest green hydrogen and ammonia plant, set to be operational in 2025.