Saudi Gazette Report

RIYADH — The Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) announced the start of construction work of Al-Uruba Park, one of the largest parks in the city of Riyadh, as part of the ‘Green Riyadh’ program.

The project will be implemented on a sprawling area covering 754,000 square meters. More than 600,000 trees and shrubs will be planted, covering 65 percent of the park area.

The park is distinguished by its vital location at the intersection of Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al-Awwal Road with Al-Urubah Road, and that facilitates easy access for the residents from various parts of the city. The park contributes to raising the quality of life, providing recreational places for residents and visitors, and transforming the city of Riyadh into one of the most sustainable cities in the world, the commission said in a press statement.

The unique design of the park, meeting international specifications, was adopted from among several designs submitted by six international competitors who participated in the competition that was held to present the best ideas and designs in a way that achieves sustainability and conforms to environmental standards.

The design features a panoramic path, with a length of three kilometers and height of 12 meters, providing a view of the city’s landmarks. The design also takes into account the use of modern technologies, in which nature harmonizes with technology to give visitors an interactive experience using augmented reality.

The park area and the implementation of permanent bodies of water were used in the design stages along with the Laysen Valley that passes through the park. The park also features a 14-km long walking trail, green terraces, squares and open theaters for events and festivals, and sports facilities that cater to the tastes of different age groups.

It is noteworthy that the Green Riyadh Program works to plant trees in residential neighborhoods, implement neighborhood gardens, plant trees in interior streets, implement wooden sidewalks and pedestrian walkways, plant trees in mosques and schools, plant trees in parking lots, as well as in valleys and their tributaries, main roads and squares, and government and public buildings such as ministries, agencies, and universities, in addition to implementing irrigation water networks with a total length of 1,350 km at the city level. Riyadh’s green nurseries also work to produce three million trees, shrubs and soil covers annually to provide the necessary afforestation needs.

The ‘Green Riyadh’ program contributes significantly to achieving one of the goals of the Green Saudi Initiative and the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which is planting 10 billion trees within the Kingdom, as the program aims to plant 7.5 million trees in the city of Riyadh, and increase vegetation cover to 9 percent of the city’s area, raising the per capita share of green space from 1.7 square meters to 28 square meters, equivalent to 16 times of what it is now, and contributing to lowering the temperature and improving air quality by reducing pollution and dust. The program also enhances the global classification of Riyadh to become one among the most livable cities in the world.