Saudi Arabia is full steam ahead with ambitious, large-scale new developments in the Kingdom, with two new projects announced this week alone.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the first ever “non-profit city,” an entirely new development just outside of the capital Riyadh which will be built as “a model for the development of the non-profit sector globally and an incubator for youth and volunteer groups as well as local and international non-profit institutions,” the Saudi Press Agency.
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Non Profit City.
The ambitious project, called the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Non-Profit City, will be built on a 3.4 square kilometer (1.3 square mile) plot of land donated by the Crown Prince.
“This will be the first non-profit city of its kind which will contribute to achieving the goals of the Mohammed bin Salman Misk Foundation in supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and qualifying future leaders by defining non-profit work in its internal operational concept and in terms of opportunities and youth training programs it will provide,” the Crown Prince said in a statement carried by the official state press outlet, the SPA. “In addition, the project will provide services that contribute to creating an attractive environment for all beneficiaries of the city’s offerings.”
The Crown Prince added that the new city will include “academies, colleges, ‘Misk Schools’, a conference center, a science museum, a creative centre offering a space to support the ambitions of innovators in sciences and new generation technology such as AI, IOT and Robotics. It will also feature an arts academy and arts gallery, performing art theatre, play area, cooking academy and integrated residential complex. In addition, the city will host venture capital firms and investors to support and incubate innovative enterprises to drive community contributions from around the world.”
The focus of the new MBS city will be youth and the future, according to the announcement. Details surrounding development phases and progress of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Non Profit City will be announced in the coming months, authorities said.
The non-profit city’s announcement didn’t have a long run as the most recently-announced mega-project in Saudi Arabia. Just three days later, Saudi Arabia announced a new, visually-stunning major development addition to NEOM, which itself is a new city at which construction recently began on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced on Wednesday the establishment of OXAGON, a floating manufacturing development which will form the next phase of NEOM’s master plan and represent “a radical new model for future manufacturing centers, based on NEOM’s strategies of redefining the way humanity lives and works in the future,” according to a press release.
“OXAGON will be the catalyst for economic growth and diversity in NEOM and the Kingdom, further meeting our ambitions under Vision 2030,” the Crown Prince said. “OXAGON will contribute to redefining the world’s approach to industrial development in the future, protecting the environment while creating jobs and growth for NEOM. It will contribute to Saudi Arabia’s regional trade and commerce, and support creating a new focal point for global trade flows. I am pleased to see that business and development have started on the ground and we look forward to the city’s rapid expansion.”
Comprising a large area in the southwest corner of NEOM, the core urban environment is centered around the integrated port and logistics hub that will house the majority of the city’s anticipated residents. The unique octagonal design minimizes impact on the environment and provides optimal land usage, with the remainder open to preserve 95% of the natural environment. A defining feature of the city is the world’s largest floating structure, which will become a center for NEOM’s Blue Economy and achieve sustainable growth, authorities said.
