The new Future City of Saudi Arabia (NEOM) is under construction in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. It is a project planned and led by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ·· Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who seeks to create an iconic and timeless "architectural marvel" comparable to the pyramids of the Egypt.
Despite the ambitions of the 38-year-old crown prince and the hope that the project will wean the Saudi economy off its dependence on oil, the project is said to have not been so smooth in its implementation. According to the original Vision 2030, the city was planned to extend 106 miles (about 171 kilometers) and accommodate 1.5 million residents, but it now appears that even by 2030, it will be a little more than 1.5 miles (about 2.4 kilometers) long, and it will be able to accommodate up to 300,000 residents.
According to the "Sun" local time on September 8, although the future city is a beautiful vision, but aside from the budget and project progress issues, there are still many sad things behind it......
Although the city of the future will look like a vibrant place from the blueprints, it is full of tears and even blood for the members of the Huwaiitat tribe who used to live there.
It is reported that at least 20,000 indigenous tribesmen face eviction for the project, and they do not know where they will live in the future, even if they have been living in the designated construction area of the future city for centuries.
Most tragically, Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti, the dissenting tribal leader, Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti·· was killed four years earlier.
As recently as May of this year, a former Saudi intelligence official revealed that Saudi authorities had allowed the use of force to evict those who had lived there, "and that any obstruction would be removed in order to ensure the smooth running of the project." ”
To build such a large-scale project, manpower is indispensable, and for this reason, Saudi Arabia also employs a large number of migrant workers, most of whom come from South Asia, Africa and some developing regions.
Allegedly, these individuals were employed under a system known as "kafala", which could be understood to resemble modern slavery. Under this system, workers are closely connected to their employers, who have a great deal of control over their movements, their ability to change jobs, and even when they can return to their home countries. These workers have to endure harsh working conditions, long working hours, and difficult accommodation.
There have been reports that as many as 100,000 migrant workers have "disappeared" during the construction of the city of the future. Either they are deported without proper documentation, abandoned without support, or at worst, die due to poor working conditions and lack of adequate medical care.
The Future City project, the world's most expensive development in history, is highly skeptical of its economic viability, despite the Saudi government's reputation as "rich and rich". Potential cost overruns and delays further exacerbate the economic risk, which is common in large-scale projects of this size.
In addition, the city of the future is conceived as a high-tech city that relies heavily on artificial intelligence, robotics and extensive surveillance systems, which clearly raises ethical questions, such as whether residents' privacy can be respected.