2030 Expo bid puts the making of a green Riyadh in the limelight

1 / 9
Short Url
Updated 23 September 2023
Follow

2030 Expo bid puts the making of a green Riyadh in the limelight

  • Green Riyadh Project was launched in 2019 to transform the Saudi capital into a more sustainable and livable metropolis
  • From planting native species of trees to boosting water conservation, urban planners are using every tool in their kit

JEDDAH: For decades, traditional urban planning approaches were applied in major cities across the world, resulting in sprawling forests of concrete devoid of adequate greenery. Riyadh, the Saudi capital, was no exception.

That is why the Green Riyadh Project was launched in 2019 to transform the city into a more sustainable and livable metropolis, by increasing total green space from 1.5 percent to 9 percent and planting some 7.5 million trees, irrigated with recycled water.

By 2030, project developers plan to have greenified some 120 neighborhoods, covered more than 1,000 km of main roads in greenery, and to have developed more than 40 city parks.

Already, one cannot visit Riyadh without noticing the abundance of greenery, with millions of trees having been planted and new parks and green spaces sprouting up all over the city.

The project is having a positive impact on the environment in a city where summer temperatures can rise as high as 55 C.

Extra green spaces are helping to reduce air pollution and mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing average air temperatures in urban areas by 2 C and surface temperatures by up to 15 C.

In addition to its environmental benefits, the urban greening project is also improving the quality of life for Riyadh’s residents, providing much-needed areas for recreation and relaxation, while also helping to reduce noise pollution and heat-island effects.

“With a city that has rapidly grown horizontally for years, it is becoming costly — physically, financially and environmentally — to move around,” Shahad Manea, an urban designer based in Riyadh, told Arab News.

“Green spaces are engines to encourage vertical expansion, making cities more efficient, dense and convenient. This in turn establishes and increases public reliance on the cheapest and healthiest mode of transit — walking.

“Walkable cities are not only healthier but also more human, as the pace becomes slower, interactions become more frequent, encouraging dialogue, strengthening communities and improving quality of life.”

As with other cities around the globe, Riyadh has not escaped the twin pressures of population growth, expected to reach 15 to 20 million by 2030, and hotter summers.

Rising temperatures lead to greater demand for air conditioning, which in turn pushes up energy consumption, jacking up the burning of fossil fuels, increasing pollutants in the air, and contributing to even higher temperatures.

“Looking at the long-term gains, green spaces contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas effects,” said Manea.

“This does not only reduce environmental pollution and ozone threats but also causes temperatures to decline, strong winds to break down, helps minimize sun exposure and dryness, reduces the impact of sandstorms, and regulates CO2 levels.

“This in turn will reduce cooling and irrigation costs, the over-reliance on private transit and its gas consumption.”

One innovative way to maximize green spaces in urban areas is to transform rooftops and other exterior structures like bus shelters into gardens, which can help reduce interior temperatures and collect rainwater — particularly during heavy downpours.

“These roofs and other green areas are great spaces for rainwater collection while minimizing runoff overflowing the streets, which causes costly damage annually,” Manea added.

Indeed, in order for a greening project of this scale to remain sustainable in Saudi Arabia’s desert climate, planners have made water conservation and reuse a top priority.

The city intends to improve its current usage of treated water for irrigation purposes from 11 percent to 100 percent, increase the amount of treated water used for irrigation from 90,000 cubic meters to a million by 2030, and to plant native species that can withstand the dry climate.

About 72 native shade-plant species compatible with Riyadh’s environment will be used for the project.

These include trees and shrubs such as the Acacia nilotica, also known as the gum arabic tree, and other species from the same family, Ziziphus spina-christi, known locally as Al-Sidr, wattle, hollyhock, queen’s wreath, and neem tree.

“Green spaces are always relevant, useful, timeless, and never fall out of style,” said Manea.

“However, to future-proof these spaces, the sole use of native plants should be implemented to make sure these places remain in good condition as these species self-sustain, prevent local ecosystems from going extinct and require minimal irrigation and maintenance.

“The use of native species reduces the chances of infrastructure complications when functions of the green space shift. Additionally, large green spaces should be constructed with differentiation in mind.

“Adaptable spaces are differentiated, meaning they are not rigid and defined enough, which makes them flexible to have room for future functions, public interpretations, and technological advances.”

Once its aims are achieved, the Green Riyadh Project will be a milestone that contributes to fulfilling a key goal of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan to promote the capital’s position among the world’s top 100 most livable cities.


Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj

Updated 6 sec ago
Follow

Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj

  • Project will be implemented during the Hajj season to help to alleviate heat and to facilitate the movement of pilgrims as they perform their rituals
  • Project includes planting 2,000 trees in the eastern courtyards, installing complete infrastructure for water and electricity networks, constructing 320 canopies, and setting up 350 misting fans

MAKKAH: Kidana Development Co., the master developer of the holy sites and the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, has implemented a project to provide shade and cooling in the courtyards surrounding the Namira Mosque in Arafat.

The project will be implemented during the Hajj season to help moderate the climate — especially given the intense heat during that time — and to facilitate the movement of pilgrims as they perform their rituals, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The project, covering 85,000 square meters, includes planting 2,000 trees in the eastern courtyards, installing complete infrastructure for water and electricity networks, constructing 320 canopies, and setting up 350 misting fans.

Additionally, the company has completed the planting of 20,000 trees across 290,000 square meters as part of the Green Holy Sites initiative, in line with the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to expand green areas and improve the environment.


Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye

Updated 45 min 36 sec ago
Follow

Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye

  • Saudi team brought two Cougar search and rescue helicopters, along with full aircrews and technical support
  • 11-day drill focuses on combat search and rescue operations that support broader air missions

RIYADH: The international combat search and rescue exercise Phoenix of Anatolia began on Monday at Turkiye’s Konya Air Base, with the Royal Saudi Air Force joining units from several other countries.

The Saudi team brought two Cougar search and rescue helicopters, along with full aircrews and technical support, according to Lt. Col. Pilot Abdulrahman Al-Mansour, who leads the Saudi contingent.

“Our team includes six air controllers and aims to improve readiness in realistic conditions while exchanging expertise with other forces,” Al-Mansour said.

The 11-day drill focuses on combat search and rescue operations that support broader air missions. One focus is training tactical air control teams to coordinate with allied systems, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The Saudi delegation arrived last week and was received by Rear Adm. Abdullah bin Gaith, the Kingdom’s military attache in Ankara.


KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population

Updated 13 May 2025
Follow

KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population

RIYADH: Dozens of ambulance missions have been carried out by the Souboul Al Salam Association’s ambulance service in the Miniyeh district, northern Lebanon, in a Saudi-funded initiative.

Financially backed by KSrelief, the initiative ran from May 2-5.

The mission aimed to provide transportation and burn treatment for Syrian refugees and the local community.


WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June

Updated 13 May 2025
Follow

WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June

  • Kingdom Arena to hold event on June 27

RIYADH: World Wrestling Entertainment, in collaboration with Riyadh Season, will host the Night of Champions event at the Kingdom Arena, part of the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to creating international entertainment, the Saudi Press Agency has reported.

The SmackDown show will take place on Friday, June 27.

The event will be exclusively live on Peacock in the US but will also be available on Netflix and other outlets for people in Saudi Arabia.


Saudi Arabia, US explore ways to build next generation of AI

Updated 13 May 2025
Follow

Saudi Arabia, US explore ways to build next generation of AI

  • Partnerships key, says David Sacks, Silicon Valley veteran
  • Google’s Ruth Porat outlines her firm’s work in Kingdom

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and US officials discussed ways to further collaborate on artificial intelligence at the Saudi-US Investment Forum here on Tuesday.

The discussions took place during two sessions titled “Pioneering Digital Futures: Joint Leadership in AI and Emerging Technologies,” and “Digital Foundations: Building the Next Generation of AI and Infrastructure.”

In the first session, the speakers were Saudi Minister of Information and Communications Technology Abdullah Alswaha and David Sacks, a Silicon Valley veteran who is helping the administration of President Donald Trump develop the crypto industry.

Sacks said he was impressed, during his tour of some technology companies, that founders and entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia “are really on the cutting edge of what’s happening with AI.”

“The thing that that I’ve learned in Silicon Valley for the past 25 years is that every successful company in Silicon Valley gets to be that way by creating an ecosystem, and the biggest, the most powerful companies … are the ones that create the biggest ecosystem.”

“In fact, they do that by creating a standard. They want everyone to build on top of them. They create app stores, things like that. In fact, they’re able to build these ecosystems without even having any lawyers involved.

“There’s no need for a contract. You just publish an API (Application Programming Interface) and people will build. And I think in a similar way, the United States needs to encourage the world to build on our text that.

He spoke about how Trump challenged them to be at the forefront of the AI race. “He said, we have to win the AI race. The United States has to win the AI race,” Sacks said.

“And the answer is that we have to build the biggest partner ecosystem. We need our friends like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other strategic partners and allies to want to build on our cap.”

Sacks also criticized what has become known as former US President Joe Biden’s diffusion rule.

This restricted access to mainstream computing applications and set caps on the number of advanced chips that could be exported to most countries.

“Over the past few years, that’s been the opposite of the approach in Washington,” said Sacks.

“The Trump administration just announced that (it) would be rescinding what’s known as the Biden diffusion rule, which was a rule that came out in January.”

Using iPhones as an example, Sacks said that if Trump had created a rule for these products, the technology backing it would not have spread throughout the world.

He said that the diffusion of iPhones was “a very good thing” for the US.

“I think in a similar way, we want our technology to diffuse or to spread. We want people to use it. We want to become the standard.

“And I think that in Washington, that mentality is, I think that sorely lacked over the past few years, but we’re gonna bring it back.”

In the later session CEOs and tech innovators discussed growth in this sector globally, and developments in the Kingdom.

Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google, outlined her company’s work in Saudi Arabia.

“Google is now building data centers, bringing graphic processing units, tensor processing units, and developing the most advanced version of our AI software Gemini which is now available in 16 Arabic dialects,” said Porat.