Antoni Vives, Chief Urban Development Officer at NEOM, said that ongoing works in the city of The Line are accelerated to complete several stages and start welcoming residents and visitors by 2025. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Vives noted that the city, which is scheduled to be fully completed by 2030, would be the home to the biggest developers of the knowledge economy environment worldwide, as the project aims to be a benchmark for the perceptual city in the world. The plans are proceeding in an integrated manner that is consistent with the nature of the modern city, in accordance with the requirements of NEOM, with the goal to transform the vision of the Saudi Crown Prince into reality, he emphasized. Vives also revealed that the city’s airport – one of the largest in the world – would be ready before 2030. The project aims to transform all challenges into amazing solutions and opportunities to build a different human future by exploiting the latest types of modern technology, through a cognitive city that uses artificial intelligence, away from congestion and noise, and protected from carbon and industrial pollutants, he underlined. According to Vives, great work has been achieved in the initial stage of the project over the past three years. He revealed that The Line would change the way of life and behavior of the population, in a manner that preserves a safe and pure environment, while providing an amazing lifestyle in terms of food, sports, transportation, tourism and other features. It will be an astounding city; yet, it is racing against time to exploit the latest technologies. It is a city with amazing modern technological development and constant renewal, he said. Vives stressed that attracting global residents and investors to NEOM was a continuous strategy that would be always maintained, as it seeks to create a new and attractive world that gives human life a wide range of luxury and happiness with its large areas of fun and gardens of beauty. This part of the world is not just a piece of land, but an integrated life structure, in which the means of transport run in an unprecedented modern way, where senior researchers, scientists and innovators work to make everything within reach in a different, unconventional way, far from anything familiar, the NEOM Chief Urban Development Officer told Asharq Al-Awsat. The Line aims to be the international standard for world cities, he said, adding that all business, machinery, and services will be managed with renewable energy, which enhances the added value of energy in the city, away from pollution.