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World
Some building projects are big enough to reshape a region. The World section examines global megaprojects, especially in Saudi Arabia and China, and the debates they provoke over money and nature.
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Saudi Arabia dominates: the cost and environmental questions around The Line, the threat its 105-mile structure could pose to migrating birds, and the rapid rise of the Jeddah tower towards a new height record. China’s giant hydropower dam in Tibet and another record-breaking hydroelectric approval widen the view.
An older entry, an A to Z of Englishness, sits here too and offers a lighter counterpoint. For the megaprojects, read the environmental pieces alongside the engineering ones to get a balanced picture. The Saudi stories are best read together, since The Line and the Jeddah tower raise similar questions of cost, speed and impact on the desert environment.
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The Kingdom’s “Line Project Under Scrutiny” Sparks Debate Over Costs and Environmental Impact of Futuristic City
IN A NUTSHELL Saudi Arabia is re-evaluating the feasibility of its bold Line project, a 105-mile mirrored skyscraper city in the desert. Falling oil prices…
“World’s Largest Hydroelectric Dam Approved” Project Sparks Global Debate Over Environmental and Economic Impact
IN A NUTSHELL China plans to build the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet. The project aims to generate 300…
Saudi Arabia’s “Record-Breaking Tower Rises Fast” Setting New Heights and Challenging Global Architectural Limits
IN A NUTSHELL The Jeddah Economic Company Tower will be the world’s tallest skyscraper, exceeding 3,280 feet in height. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon…
“This Desert Skyscraper Could Exterminate Thousands” as Saudi Arabia’s 105-Mile-Long Megastructure Sparks Alarms Over Bird Migration Catastrophe
IN A NUTSHELL The ambitious Line project in Saudi Arabia aims to create a 105-mile-long futuristic city within the desert. Located on a major migratory…
“This Is a Game-Changer for Humanity”: China Unveils Massive 300 Billion kWh Hydro-Power Dam in Tibet, Dwarfing All Others in the World
IN A NUTSHELL China initiates the world’s largest hydro-power project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, aiming to generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Concerns arise in…
A to Z of Englishness
Afters There is no word for what an Englishman eats after his meat that does not make some other Englishman wince. The upper class say…