Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Mayor of Riyadh Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf has said the public transport project in the Saudi capital is one of the qualitative projects in the world as a whole, and its impact is great and will include all regions and neighborhoods.

“We will focus on increasing the population density around metro stations with various incentives in order to achieve the greatest benefit from the services of the project,” he said.

The mayor made the remarks while addressing a session titled “Development of cities; Riyadh as a model” in the second edition of the Real Estate Future Forum, which opened on Monday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh.

Prince Faisal spoke about the modern history of the city of Riyadh from 1950s to date. “The fifties in Riyadh were a pivotal stage, as King Saud moved all government departments and agencies from the western region to Riyadh, which contributed to a major shift in the city in terms of increasing population and jobs. Then came the period of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties during which Riyadh moved from the local stage to the regional level,” he said and continued: “Today we see many large projects in the city such as King Khalid International Airport, which are witnesses of that period. It not only saw the establishment of huge infrastructure but also worked out a general plan for further development.”

Referring to Riyadh’s giant projects, the mayor said: “We are fortunate because each project is historical and qualitatively large, as they are combined in one time and place. These are historical moments that the city of Riyadh is experiencing, and among the major projects are Green Riyadh, the Sports Boulevard, King Abdullah International Gardens, Metro, Qiddiya, and others.”

Prince Faisal drew attention to the fact that Riyadh will inevitably grow, and the factor that determines whether the growth is horizontal or vertical depends on the city plan. “There are many vacant plots, and there are more developed plots, but they did not get the full opportunity, and the new plan will determine the possibility of growth and how much the city will bear, in addition to the limit of development,” he added.