Dezeen Magazine said in a new report criticising Saudi huge spending on unreal megacities, saying that architecture is often drawn to authoritarian regimes, as well, for no other reason than their ability to do things by decree, citing Neom mega-project as an example.
Architects working on the Neom mega-project in Saudi Arabia, including the 170-kilometre city The Line, must decide whether they are content to be complicit in an “ecological and moral atrocity”, writes Adam Greenfield, the magazine reads.
Negative Views towards Neom Project
The Associated Press quoted in a new report some observers as saying that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) hopes the city will become a skyline-studded Saudi version of Dubai that will offer the kingdom jobs and cement a future beyond its vast crude oil reserves.
It also would reframe a rule so far colored by the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the kingdom’s ongoing intervention in the war in Yemen, the AP added
“Some people say the idea of the Neom city project is too utopian and doubt whether it can be really established,” said Paik Seunghoon, principal researcher at the Institute of Middle East Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. “But it’s one of the projects that Prince (Mohammed) is pushing hard so that he will try to have (the Neom project) running to some extent.”
Joo Won, deputy director at the Seoul-based Hyundai Research Institute, noted that there have been “more negative views toward the project” than positive ones.
“It’s a matter of financial resources. Saudi Arabia needs money to build such a city. During the period of high oil prices like these days, they can afford it. But oil prices would go down one day and the project could stop,” Joo said.
MBS Draining Saudi Resources
For its part, Bloomberg revealed that Neom appears to be one of the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)'s highest priorities, and the Saudi state is devoting immense resources to making it a reality.
The paper pointed out that Neom offered tax-free salaries of $700,000 to $900,000 for some senior expatriates, more than 20 times the income of the average Saudi, and a broad range of other perks.
Bloomberg went on charging that Neom has become something of a full-employment guarantee for international architects, futurists, and even Hollywood production designers, each taking a cut of Saudi Arabia’s petroleum riches in exchange for work that some strongly suspect will never be used and for designs that never see the light of day.
Senior executives on Neom's leadership team, composed of roughly 20 Saudis and foreigners, are being paid about $1.1 million each annually, according to internal documents reported by the Wall Street Journal last month.
In another report, Wall Street Journal affirmed that Saudi Arabia’s mega development Neom is paying senior executives roughly $1.1 million each annually, according to an internal Neom document, showing how the kingdom is using large pay packages to lure global talent to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s national transformation plan.
Along the same line, Haaretz Hebrew newspaper published a new report under the title “Will MBS Bankrupt Saudi Arabia?”
According to the report, the Vision 2030 declared by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is estimated at the eye-watering $7 trillion-plus.
But five years in and with little progress in sight, cracks are appearing in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s flagship project to diversify the oil-driven Saudi economy.
Saudi's Neom: A city of Fantasy
Neom’s former employees raised concerns that bringing the giga-project out of the realm of science fiction might never happen. Architecture experts have called it “insane.” Sources inside the royal circle no longer shy away from lashing out at MBS’ ever-changing ideas, “mood swings,” “terrible tempers” and fear-based leadership.
Social media outrage
A state of anger swept social media platforms as prominent international media reports revealed MBS' project failure and high costs.
Martin Anderson said on Twitter: A few people enriching themselves at the expense of the local tribespeople. A nonsensical fantasy project by a murderous crown prince that will never happen.
Jonathan Andrés also commented on the megacity project, saying: “This whole idea is a monument not to a man vision but to his estupidiity. This “project” is not futuristic, is impractical in any possible way. The whole thing is just moronic.”
