NEWS FROM THE FUTURE: The Line is the future of work and play

Futureworld brings you Mindbullets: News from the Future, to spark thinking about leadership, innovation, and digital disruption. These fictitious scenarios aim to challenge conventional mindsets and promote an understanding of the future context for business.

Dateline: October 17 2027

The first tenants have officially moved into The Line, the futuristic development at the heart of the Neom smart city project. Composed of two parallel skyscrapers running 120km through the desert, The Line is a revolutionary new city design, powered entirely by renewable energy and advanced AI systems. In this car-free zone, residents and visitors move around using high-speed rail and air taxis, making it one of the most innovative and sustainable business and tourism centres in the world.

The Line’s strategic location on the Red Sea puts it at the heart of global logistics routes, making it an ideal gateway for international trade. The area also boasts a spaceport that supports SpaceX Starship cargo rockets, further solidifying Neom’s position as the epicentre of future transportation and logistics.

As the first tenants settle into their new homes and workplaces, it’s clear that The Line is already attracting some of the biggest names in business. Global tech giants, financial institutions, and leading companies in industries such as renewable energy, biotechnology, aerospace, and molecular synthesis have all set up shop in The Line and the nearby Oxagon clean industry park. The district’s cutting-edge infrastructure, highly skilled workforce, and supportive business environment are proving to be a powerful combination for driving innovation and growth.

As Neom CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr puts it: “The Line is more than just a new city, it’s a blueprint for the future. We believe that by building a truly sustainable, forward-thinking community, we can attract the brightest minds and most ambitious companies from around the world. The future is here, and Neom is leading the way.”

An autonomous region in Saudi Arabia’s northwest province, Neom will also offer skiing and mountain resort facilities at the far end of The Line by 2029.

The Line’s success is a testament to the power of visionary thinking and the potential for smart cities to drive economic growth and improve quality of life. As more and more tenants move in, it’s clear that The Line is on track to becoming a global business and tourist hub and a model for the future of urban development. /First published in Mindbullets January 26 2023

The streets have no names

In today’s modern cityscape, there are no streets or cars

Dateline: October 19 2028

We live in a strange new world. Odourless aftershave. Wheat-free bread. Virtual assistants. Pointless pastries, devoid of sugar, made with boosted broccoli from basement farms, yet deliciously popular. And cities without streets.

China’s latest planned urban extravaganza, a megalopolis known as Yuyuan or “Harmony Garden”, isn’t built around roads and streets. The walkways and thoroughfares linking the multiuse 3D-printed buildings can accommodate pedestrians, e-bikes and hoverboards. Jogging and cycling are also encouraged, around pleasing water features and gardens, with no city grid to spoil the feng shui. And no cars.

The people-moving pods and autocars are all contained in hypertube tunnels below the ground. Floating on magnetic levitation, they never touch the track, and don’t need wheels, whisking their passengers from one tube stop to the next with near silent efficiency. Short hops from one building to the next can be made without leaving the elevator, which travels both vertically and horizontally, on the same principle.

No street means no street address, and so much the better. Every building has its own zip code, a positive locator for any service, including drone deliveries to the roof. “It’s so much more efficient,” says local resident Avery Wong, “every city should have this.”

With no cars and trucks, air quality is great, and families are lining up to live in Harmony Garden. Of course, there’s a price to pay, as maglev hypertubes use vast amounts of electrical power, as does the immense network of sensors, cameras and controllers that keep this smart city running. But with China’s expanded nuclear and solar programmes, energy seems to be the least of their worries.

Who said mass urbanisation couldn’t work in the end?/First published in Mindbullets October 19 2017

• Despite appearances to the contrary, Futureworld cannot and does not predict the future. The Mindbullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, and challenge and stimulate strategic thinking.