NEOM

Saudi Arabia

In the fast-moving and innovative world of sustainability, there are few, if any, projects that can compete with Saudi Arabia’s futuristic sustainable city of NEOM. For the uninitiated, NEOM, is a planned city being built in the Tabuk Province of north-western Saudi Arabia. It is planned to incorporate smart city technologies and function as a tourist destination while being totally sustainable.

The site is planned to cover a total area of 26,500 km2 (10,200 sq mi), extending 170 kilometres along the coast of the Red Sea, and with an estimated cost of US$500 billion, it is one of the most ambitious projects of modern times. NEOM’s founder, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wants NEOM to be an “agent of progress and change”. Yet before we get into the specifics of the project, it’s worth addressing one of the most commonly asked questions – why is it called ‘NEOM’?

The answer to this is as follows, HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed and deliberated with members of the project’s Founding Board – in addition to experts and specialists in the field – about an appropriate name for such a project with a global outlook. When the Board conducted its first meetings to address related topics, among the agenda items was the search for a name that represents the identity and symbolism of this dream project, as HRH saw that the name expresses the cultural and civilizational dimension of the universality of the project.

According to NEOM: “A series of discussions were circulated about the significance of the name and how it should reflect the project’s global identity, human dimension and remarkable ambition. The actual name designation journey began by defining criteria, qualities and conditions, all of which bear a clear and firm vision for selection; then, sorting and testing the lists of names proposed by the consulting team.

“During the Founding Board discussions, some members considered giving the project the name of HRH, the President of the Founding Board, either directly or by incorporating his name within the project name. As such, two names were suggested: “NEOVIA MBS” and “NMBS,” but the opinions of the members were split. The team that was not in favour clarified that HRH, the Chairman of the Board, leads major national projects, and HRH being Chairman of NEOM Board of Directors is sufficient to deliver a message to the world that reflects the direct connection of HRH to the project. They did, however, support HRH’s principal idea that the name should be neither Eastern nor Western, and also not belonging to a specific language or culture, in addition to being neutral and rather open to the entire world.

“What followed was choosing the initials of those sectors and merging them to obtain a distinctive name that preserves the identity of the project, and this resulted in the name ‘NEO MSTACBEL’ whose initials MSTACBEL symbolize the main project sectors, such as Media, Sport, Technology and Energy. Then the word was abbreviated and symbolized by the letter M, meaning “Mim” in Arabic as a symbol for two words: It is the first letter of the Arabic word for future (mustaqbal) and also the first letter of the name of HRH Prince “Mohammed” bin Salman.

“Next the letter “M” was merged with the word NEO from the Greek language, which means new, to form the name that constitutes the beacon of change in the world. The name “NEOM” was henceforth formed and agreed upon unanimously by the Board. Thus, the name NEOM was formed with the approval and endorsement of the Founding Board as the official name of the project; a true reflection of NEOM’s vision and the reality that will be achieved to contribute to building a promising future for future generations. From that moment on, the lights of NEOM have pierced the sky, heralding a luminous dawn, a promising future, and a rich life in a land built by man for the sake of all humanity.”

A GIFT FOR THE REGION & THE WORLD

NEOM is evidential of our changing attitudes towards sustainable living, but also to the changing role Saudi Arabia is playing in the world today. For many decades, Saudi Arabia has been associated with oil production, yet that is beginning to change as Saudi Arabia has become a leader in sporting occasions, culture, politics and of course, sustainability.

NEOM emphasises this with an international team of architects, urban planners and sustainability experts from around the world. This isn’t a coincidence, as NEOM represents a place where people can come from all corners of the world to experience harmonious lifestyles of the future.

NEOM itself is made up of three key areas: Oxagon, Trojena, and The Line Sectors, with a focus on each of the following areas: health, well-being, biotech, technology and digital, energy, financial services, mobility, sport, design and construction, education, entertainment and culture, food, manufacturing, media, tourism, and water.

With regard to energy, NEOM is developing 100% clean energy at scale for NEOM, with a view to extend this ultimately to the entire planet. Via unrivalled wind and solar resources, and through the world’s largest hydrogen plant, NEOM is aiming to incubate and accelerate renewable solutions. The goal is to move beyond zero carbon to a circular economy, using future thinking to drive the level.