Green Riyadh has started construction on three parks megaprojects spanning an area of 550,000 sq m in the Saudi capital
The megaprojects aim to raise quality of life, provide recreation spaces and increase the per capita green space by 16 times current levels, making Riyadh one of the most sustainable cities in the world, Saudi authorities said.
The parks, located in the eastern part of the capital, will include 18km of walking trails, 8km of running tracks, 8.5km of cycling tracks and 22 children’s play areas designed to provide innovative educational experiences and raise environmental awareness.
More than 585,000 trees and shrubs will be planted, covering 65% of the parks’ area.
The parks will also feature green terraces, open spaces and theaters for events and festivals.
In addition, there will be sports facilities for various age groups.
Planting 7.5m trees across Riyadh
Launched by King Salman bin Abdulaziz in 2019, Green Riyadh aims to plant more than 7.5m trees in Riyadh, increasing the city’s green cover to 9% and raising per capita green space from 1.7 sq m to 28 sq m.
Further to the parks megaprojects, Green Riyadh is focused on planting residential neighbourhoods, developing neighbourhood parks, planning streets and corridors, and planting trees in mosques, schools, parking lots, valleys and their tributaries.
Green Riyadh nurseries will produce 3m trees, shrubs and soil covers annually to meet the necessary planting needs.
The program emphasizes main roads and government buildings, such as ministries, authorities and universities.
It includes the development of water networks for irrigation, totaling 1,350km across the city.
The parks megaproject enhances Riyadh’s urban environment and contributes to the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) of planting 10bn trees across the kingdom as part of Saudi Vision 2030.
Through the Green Riyadh program, Saudi Arabia aims to reduce the heat reflected from the Earth’s surface by 15C, cut temperatures by 2C, improve air quality and reduce carbon dioxide by 6%.
