Oxagon: Saudi Arabia’s Visionary Octagonal City

Welcome to the Future of Cities 🌆

What do you envision when you think of the city of the future? Saudi Arabia offers its intriguing answer with an ambitious project named Oxagon. The unconventional urban design comprises two distinct sections: a land-based area and a floating structure in the ocean. Together, they form a unique octagonal city with eight sides.

The Grand NEOM Project 🚀

Oxagon is an integral part of the broader NEOM initiative, a transformative development plan for northeastern Saudi Arabia. This once sparsely populated region is now the focal point of efforts to write a new chapter in the kingdom’s history. The country’s substantial finances, stemming primarily from oil revenues, are being re-invested to create a diversified future economy. This move aims at attracting international companies through subsidies and partnerships while diminishing the nation’s dependency on oil.

The Three Pillars of NEOM 🏛️

NEOM features three key regions:

• The Line: A 100-mile linear city emphasizing green living and efficient transportation.
• Trojena: A mountainous resort area.
• Oxagon: The industrial and economic powerhouse.

The Structure of Oxagon 🔳

Oxagon’s design is as futuristic as its purpose. The part of the city on land and its floating counterpart are divided by a waterway, allowing container ships to enter and access the city’s port. This feature aims to make Oxagon a critical transshipment center in the region, reducing supply chain times significantly. Planners are banking on the city’s proximity to the Suez Canal, through which nearly 12% of global trade passes, to give Oxagon a strategic advantage.

The World’s Largest Floating Structure 🌊

The floating part of Oxagon promises to be the largest such structure globally. Promotional material suggests it will offer more than just industrial facilities, including residential areas and leisure activities, blending work and life seamlessly. The city is designed to attract firms specializing in cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and sustainability. Already announced partnerships include the production of green hydrogen and ammonia, and a desalination plant.

A Visionary Model City 🏙️

Despite the ambitious plans and promotional materials, Oxagon remains largely a vision. As the project progresses, the final model city may look quite different. The kingdom has invested heavily in elaborate promotional campaigns to broadcast this urban utopia, painting a picture of harmonious urban and industrial life of the future.

Harmony with Nature? 🌍

A question arises: does a half-floating city truly embody harmony between humanity and nature? While the project pledges sustainability, critics question the environmental impact on the marine habitat of the Red Sea. Some argue that it would be more sustainable to build in barren deserts instead.

Science and Research 🔬

An oceanographic institute focused on marine research is also part of the plans. Whether this facility can balance industrial activities with environmental protection remains to be seen, highlighting some contradictions in the project’s vision.

Whose Vision is It Anyway? 👁️

Oxagon and the entire NEOM region are flagship projects of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Following his father, King Salman’s appointment, MBS has become a pivotal figure, holding significant influence as the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. Financing for Oxagon showcases MBS’s unique approach, capitalizing on the country’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF (Public Investment Fund), instead of traditional state budgets.

Dynamic Financial Strategies 💸

To finance Oxagon, PIF plays a crucial role. Saudi Aramco, the government-owned oil giant, is a major revenue source. With changes instigated by King Salman and MBS, the revenue flow and ownership structures have shifted dramatically. In 2019, Saudi Aramco went public with an initial public offering (IPO), channeling the proceeds into PIF for investment in forward-looking projects like Oxagon.

Conclusion 🌟

As the world watches the development of Oxagon, questions linger about the future of urbanization. Does an octagonal city floating in the ocean represent the ideal future, or can we learn from existing cities like Paris, Cape Town, Amsterdam, or New York? Only time will tell if Oxagon will truly become the city of the future or a symbol of unattainable ambition.

The vision for Oxagon sparks curiosity and debate about the role of futuristic thinking in urban planning. Can this ambitious project set an example for harmonious, sustainable development? Stay tuned as Saudi Arabia ventures into uncharted waters with its grand design.