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NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City / ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM

Swansea University Author: ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM

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DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUThesis.71459

Abstract

NEOM, a US$500 billion megaproject under development in Saudi Arabia and a flagship of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, proposes a new model of urbanism powered entirely by renewable energy, governed through AI-driven systems, and anchored by The Line, a 170-kilometre linear city designed to eliminate car...

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Published: Swansea University 2026
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Smith, R., and Rees, K.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71459
first_indexed 2026-02-17T14:42:49Z
last_indexed 2026-02-18T05:35:32Z
id cronfa71459
recordtype RisThesis
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This study examines how the planning of the NEOM urban area draws upon lessons from other established smart cities worldwide, with an emphasis on NEOM&#x2019;s planning motivations, environmental strategies, and its distinctive linear spatial logic. Boyd Cohen's Smart City Wheel is used as a diagnostic framework to assess NEOM&#x2019;s alignment with established smart city dimensions, while the lens of smart and cognitive urbanism offers insight into the project&#x2019;s symbolic, technological, and strategic dimensions. A qualitative interpretive case study methodology guided the research during NEOM&#x2019;s construction, gaining empirical insights into NEOM&#x2019;s formative planning and early construction stages. Primary data was collected through 39 semi-structured interviews with high-level internal stakeholders, including NEOM planners, consultants, and experts, and external participants such as urban scholars, sustainability professionals, and policy advisors. These insights are supported by documentary analysis and in-depth engagement with planning reports and media sources. The findings reveal that NEOM selectively integrates global best practices while extending them through novel frameworks, such as AI urbanism, Zero Gravity Urbanism, and cognitive dimensions. While the project introduces ambitious innovations in renewable energy systems, vertical spatial design, and AI-enhanced service delivery, it remains in an early experimental phase. At this stage, NEOM cannot yet be considered a fully replicable model, but it embodies a potential future paradigm marked by conceptual boldness and global significance. The study concludes by identifying key challenges for translating NEOM&#x2019;s ambitious vision into a viable and replicable model, particularly in terms of inclusive governance, environmental resilience, technological feasibility, and the uniqueness of NEOM&#x2019;s political and geographical context.Finally, recommendations for future research are suggested as NEOM continues to be built, specifically the need for longitudinal monitoring and comparative studies to evaluate and contextualise its evolving progress and replicability.</abstract><type>E-Thesis</type><journal/><volume/><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher/><placeOfPublication>Swansea University</placeOfPublication><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords>NEOM, The Line, Smart Sustainable Cities, Cognitive City, AI Urbanism, Innovative Urban Form, Sustainable Mobility, Global Smart City Best Practices.</keywords><publishedDay>30</publishedDay><publishedMonth>1</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2026</publishedYear><publishedDate>2026-01-30</publishedDate><doi>10.23889/SUThesis.71459</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><supervisor>Smith, R., and Rees, K.</supervisor><degreelevel>Doctoral</degreelevel><degreename>Ph.D</degreename><degreesponsorsfunders>Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia &#x2013; Cultural Bureau (London)</degreesponsorsfunders><apcterm/><funders>Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia &#x2013; Cultural Bureau (London)</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-02-17T14:47:50.0213079</lastEdited><Created>2026-02-17T14:35:05.1813870</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Geography</level></path><authors><author><firstname>ABDULAZIZ</firstname><surname>ALQASEM</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>71459__36251__76b7db37a1c54b1abd69e99b2a2c919d.pdf</filename><originalFilename>2026_Alqasem_A.final.71459.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2026-02-17T14:41:20.4209852</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>6834272</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>E-Thesis &#x2013; open access</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>Copyright: the author, Abdulaziz Ibrahem Alqasem, 2026</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2026-02-17T14:47:50.0213079 v2 71459 2026-02-17 NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City 7f39e4c523dd02eb368c7eddc6cf4586 ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM true false 2026-02-17 NEOM, a US$500 billion megaproject under development in Saudi Arabia and a flagship of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, proposes a new model of urbanism powered entirely by renewable energy, governed through AI-driven systems, and anchored by The Line, a 170-kilometre linear city designed to eliminate car dependency, reduce carbon emissions, and preserve 95% of its surrounding natural environment. This study examines how the planning of the NEOM urban area draws upon lessons from other established smart cities worldwide, with an emphasis on NEOM’s planning motivations, environmental strategies, and its distinctive linear spatial logic. Boyd Cohen's Smart City Wheel is used as a diagnostic framework to assess NEOM’s alignment with established smart city dimensions, while the lens of smart and cognitive urbanism offers insight into the project’s symbolic, technological, and strategic dimensions. A qualitative interpretive case study methodology guided the research during NEOM’s construction, gaining empirical insights into NEOM’s formative planning and early construction stages. Primary data was collected through 39 semi-structured interviews with high-level internal stakeholders, including NEOM planners, consultants, and experts, and external participants such as urban scholars, sustainability professionals, and policy advisors. These insights are supported by documentary analysis and in-depth engagement with planning reports and media sources. The findings reveal that NEOM selectively integrates global best practices while extending them through novel frameworks, such as AI urbanism, Zero Gravity Urbanism, and cognitive dimensions. While the project introduces ambitious innovations in renewable energy systems, vertical spatial design, and AI-enhanced service delivery, it remains in an early experimental phase. At this stage, NEOM cannot yet be considered a fully replicable model, but it embodies a potential future paradigm marked by conceptual boldness and global significance. The study concludes by identifying key challenges for translating NEOM’s ambitious vision into a viable and replicable model, particularly in terms of inclusive governance, environmental resilience, technological feasibility, and the uniqueness of NEOM’s political and geographical context.Finally, recommendations for future research are suggested as NEOM continues to be built, specifically the need for longitudinal monitoring and comparative studies to evaluate and contextualise its evolving progress and replicability. E-Thesis Swansea University NEOM, The Line, Smart Sustainable Cities, Cognitive City, AI Urbanism, Innovative Urban Form, Sustainable Mobility, Global Smart City Best Practices. 30 1 2026 2026-01-30 10.23889/SUThesis.71459 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Smith, R., and Rees, K. Doctoral Ph.D Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia – Cultural Bureau (London) Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia – Cultural Bureau (London) 2026-02-17T14:47:50.0213079 2026-02-17T14:35:05.1813870 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Geography ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM 1 71459__36251__76b7db37a1c54b1abd69e99b2a2c919d.pdf 2026_Alqasem_A.final.71459.pdf 2026-02-17T14:41:20.4209852 Output 6834272 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: the author, Abdulaziz Ibrahem Alqasem, 2026 true eng
title NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City
spellingShingle NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City
ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM
title_short NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City
title_full NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City
title_fullStr NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City
title_full_unstemmed NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City
title_sort NEOM - Lining Up a New Smart City
author_id_str_mv 7f39e4c523dd02eb368c7eddc6cf4586
author_id_fullname_str_mv 7f39e4c523dd02eb368c7eddc6cf4586_***_ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM
author ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM
author2 ABDULAZIZ ALQASEM
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publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUThesis.71459
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
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hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
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description NEOM, a US$500 billion megaproject under development in Saudi Arabia and a flagship of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, proposes a new model of urbanism powered entirely by renewable energy, governed through AI-driven systems, and anchored by The Line, a 170-kilometre linear city designed to eliminate car dependency, reduce carbon emissions, and preserve 95% of its surrounding natural environment. This study examines how the planning of the NEOM urban area draws upon lessons from other established smart cities worldwide, with an emphasis on NEOM’s planning motivations, environmental strategies, and its distinctive linear spatial logic. Boyd Cohen's Smart City Wheel is used as a diagnostic framework to assess NEOM’s alignment with established smart city dimensions, while the lens of smart and cognitive urbanism offers insight into the project’s symbolic, technological, and strategic dimensions. A qualitative interpretive case study methodology guided the research during NEOM’s construction, gaining empirical insights into NEOM’s formative planning and early construction stages. Primary data was collected through 39 semi-structured interviews with high-level internal stakeholders, including NEOM planners, consultants, and experts, and external participants such as urban scholars, sustainability professionals, and policy advisors. These insights are supported by documentary analysis and in-depth engagement with planning reports and media sources. The findings reveal that NEOM selectively integrates global best practices while extending them through novel frameworks, such as AI urbanism, Zero Gravity Urbanism, and cognitive dimensions. While the project introduces ambitious innovations in renewable energy systems, vertical spatial design, and AI-enhanced service delivery, it remains in an early experimental phase. At this stage, NEOM cannot yet be considered a fully replicable model, but it embodies a potential future paradigm marked by conceptual boldness and global significance. The study concludes by identifying key challenges for translating NEOM’s ambitious vision into a viable and replicable model, particularly in terms of inclusive governance, environmental resilience, technological feasibility, and the uniqueness of NEOM’s political and geographical context.Finally, recommendations for future research are suggested as NEOM continues to be built, specifically the need for longitudinal monitoring and comparative studies to evaluate and contextualise its evolving progress and replicability.
published_date 2026-01-30T06:28:53Z
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