Back in 2005, the Saudi government announced plans to create a new city (from scratch) on its western coast that will be the size of Washington D.C. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reports that construction is already under way.
The city is named after the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who died in January 2015. Its formal name is the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).
Having a city on the peninsular country’s western coast will give it access to the Suez Canal, reflecting the government’s attempt to diversify its oil-dependent economy by focusing more in its shipping industry.
According to the CTBUH, Saudi Arabia hopes the port will be part of a new Silk Road that will connect with Mediterranean countries and Southern Europe.
Eric Reguly, a journalist of Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, who visited the under-construction city a few months ago, said the site looks more like a movie set.
“The rest of the city is pretty much an expanse of nothing, save for a suburb of villas, an international school and, a dozen kilometers to the north, a container-ship port, and a few factories in an area that could double as a stage set for a Mad Max film,” Reguly writes.
During a recent interview with Public Radio International, Reguly said that the city’s reliance on cars is an obvious flaw. “"It's going to be very much dependent on cheap oil," he adds, which was the very thing the city was designed to avoid.
For more information on the project, visit The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and Globe and Mail.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | May 23, 2019
237-room hotel will anchor Nashville’s new $540 million mixed-use development
Chartwell Hospitality will operate the hotel.
Mixed-Use | May 15, 2019
Puerto Rican mixed-use, mixed income housing development begins construction
Álvarez-Díaz & Villalón designed the project.
Mixed-Use | May 14, 2019
Mixed-use community breaks ground in Greenville, S.C.
The Beach Company is developing the project.
Mixed-Use | May 9, 2019
Development builds on success of Chicago’s River North
One Chicago will further enliven upscale, artsy area.
Mixed-Use | May 3, 2019
The Colorado Rockies get into the sports-anchored development game
The project is currently under construction across the street from Coors Field.
Mixed-Use | May 2, 2019
A series of green bridges will connect these two towers in Shenzhen, China
Steven Holl Architects designed the project.
Mixed-Use | Apr 26, 2019
Miami’s 7-acre Link at Douglas breaks ground
The project will be built in phases over the next five years.
Mixed-Use | Apr 7, 2019
Chicago-area joint venture antes up $1 billion for Opportunity Zone development investment
Decennial Group says it’s looking at 250 potential projects, primarily in America’s heartland and rural areas.
Mixed-Use | Mar 11, 2019
Podcast: Sterling Bay’s Andy Gloor discusses Chicago’s grandiose Lincoln Yards Plan
Lincoln Yards is Sterling Bay’s ambitious riverfront development of formerly industrial land between Bucktown and Lincoln Park.
Mixed-Use | Feb 21, 2019
An R&D-oriented innovation district is taking shape in the heart of Durham, N.C.
Its buildout has included converting old tobacco warehouses into offices and labs.
