🏙️ Saudi’s $100-billion King Abdullah mega-city, the brain connections between humans and dogs, the world’s most powerful onshore wind turbine

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Saudi Arabia’s ambitious and history-making Vision 2030 aims to transform the kingdom from an oil-dependent economy to an eco-friendly global investment powerhouse with a higher quality of life for all.

King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) is yet another Saudi Arabian megacity project like The Line and Oxagon. However, the start-up city along the Red Sea Coast, about the size of Washington, DC, still struggles to carve out its niche and stand out to a broad demographic using traditional urban planning approaches.

It may undermine its potential to become a vibrant, mixed-use community. Take a closer look at this Must Read.

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🏙️Why Saudi’s $100-billion King Abdullah mega city struggles to impress

Launched in 2005, King Abdullah Economic City was constructed close to the Suez Canal to become a key logistics hub linking Europe, Asia, and Africa. The city's most impressive feature is the King Abdullah Port, with a next-generation smart gate system that employs AI and machine learning.

However, despite its ability to hold two million residents, it has only attracted 10,000 since its opening in 2005. The cost of luxury villas and waterfront properties are priced far above those in Jeddah, and the more family-friendly communities have not drawn in the desired numbers. Only 100 Saudi and multinational companies have set up bases there, so they haven’t created one million new jobs yet.

It continues to show signs of economic growth with an award-winning golf course, but whether the city will compete with the other urban development projects remains to be seen.

💨 China firm to build world’s most powerful ultra-large onshore wind turbine

Windey, a company based in China, plans to develop the world’s most powerful onshore wind turbine. Having manufactured China’s first grid-connected wind turbines over five decades ago, Windey has already proven itself to be a leader in the renewable energy sector.

The project, focused on breakthroughs in turbine design, blade technology, and stability control, will develop a 16MW wind turbine prototype with independent intellectual property rights, promoting the efficient use of onshore wind resources.

The project and company aim to shape industry standards and drive technological advancements by actively engaging with over 200 international and national standard committees.

🐕 Cambridge investigates hidden brain connections between humans and dogs

A new study from Cambridge University seeks to investigate if humans and dogs sync up neurologically while interacting. Inspired by similar studies involving parents and infants, researchers found a common denominator in how humans talk to their dogs.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings measure brain activity, and human and canine participants wore snug caps fitted with electrodes. In a calm environment, researchers began to observe their brainwave patterns and even threw in distractions such as smartphones ringing to monitor any changes.

The preliminary study represents a significant step toward acknowledging and exploring the complex human-animal bond.

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