The incredible ‘new’ city that will house two million people and cost £67bn to build
King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) is set to be completed by 2035, with residents expected to start moving in in five years.
An ambitious new £67billion ($100bn) mega-city is just 10 years away from being completed.
King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), a colossal new super-city in the Saudi Arabian desert, is set to be completed by 2035, with 50,000 residents expected to move in within the next five years.
Located approximately 60 miles north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's current commercial hub, KAEC is being constructed entirely from scratch on previously unoccupied desert land.
The city will eventually span 70 square miles, nearly double the size of both Manchester and Liverpool, and comparable to Washington, D.C. When fully developed, it will house two million residents.
The metropolis, costing £67 billion, aims to invigorate Saudi Arabia's economy by diversifying away from oil dependency and creating jobs.
The city will feature hospitals, schools, golf courses, a port capable of handling 20 million containers annually, an industrial complex, a financial island, beach facilities, and residential neighborhoods.
Although the project began a decade ago, only 15% of KAEC has been completed.
"Putting that first phase together is the most difficult point," Fahd al-Rasheed, Group CEO of Emaar Economic City, explained. "Once you figure it out, the sky is the limit, so we are in that phase now."
The Saudi government has established an Economic Cities Authority to oversee KAEC and other mega-city projects in the country.
These initiatives were championed by the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who envisioned them as essential to Saudi Arabia's future as oil supplies dwindle.
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KAEC is designed with the country's youthful population in mind. With 65 percent of Saudis under 30 and nearly 200,000 studying abroad, the city aims to attract a new generation eager to bring their experiences and skills back home.
Despite currently resembling a vast construction site, KAEC is expected to house 50,000 residents and create 28,000 jobs by 2020, with 25 percent of the city developed.
The project includes high-speed train links to Jeddah and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, positioning KAEC as a significant travel and tourism hub.
