Green Riyadh has officially launched in seven neighbourhoods in the city. The project, which is billed as one of the largest Integrated and comprehensive urban afforestation projects in the world, is being implemented in the Al-Aziziyah, Al-Naseem, Al-Jazeera, Al-Araija, Qurtuba, Al-Ghadir and Al-Nakhil neighborhoods.
The project will see 7.5mn trees being planted across the capital and will contribute an increase in per capita green space from 1.7sqm to 28sqm, and increase the total green space in the city to 9% or 545sqm.
It targets the afforestation of several locations in Riyadh such as parks, roads, and internal streets in neighborhoods, in addition to the courtyards of mosques and schools, stated Abdulaziz Al Moqbel, the director of the Green Riyadh Project. The afforestation has begun in roads and squares of seven residential neighborhoods in the Riyadh city, he added.
He noted that the project will establish 56 gardens in the Aziziyah neighborhood and 97 gardens in Al-Naseem neighborhood, and all of them are out of 3,000 gardens that are under construction as part of the program’s work, which will be developed soon during the coming period. The implementation of afforestation in the roads and neighborhoods will contribute to the construction of sidewalks and pedestrian pathways, which will help raise the walking steps of individuals.
Besides its key role in improving the quality of air and reducing temperature, it will save natural territories and biological diversity inside and outside the city of Riyadh, he explained.
In the long term, the project aims to completely rehabilitate 120 residential neighborhoods with afforestation, according to a report by the Saudi Gazette. The project is one of the four wellbeing projects launched by King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh in 2019, under supervision of the Committee of Grand Projects chaired by the HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister.
The projects are said to be worth $23bn and aim to improve the lives of its citizens in Riyadh besides transforming the city into an attractive destination and making it one of the world’s most livable cities. It is said to be a key element of the Kingdom’s 2030 vision and is said to be an important part of the city’s journey to becoming one of the top 100 cities in the world and eventually achieving the highest ranking possible, the report explained.