Green Riydah

The “Green Riyadh” program is one of the largest ambitious urban afforestation projects in the world. The Green Riyadh Program aims to plant more than 7.5 million trees throughout the city of Riyadh until 2030, to raise the per capita share of green space in the city of Riyadh, from 1.7 square meters to 28 square meters, equivalent to 16 times, and increase the percentage of total green spaces in the city from 1.5% to 9%, which contributes to improving the quality of life in the city of Riyadh.

InSite joined with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City to use the Green Riyadh initiative to design and develop the Olaishah and Middle Al-Uraija neighborhoods that reside in the Southwest part of Riyadh. Blessed with excellent adjacencies, these neighborhoods have many positive attributes that can be amplified. The Olaishah neighborhood rests along the eastern side of the Wadi Hanifah, while the Middle Al-Uraija neighborhood lies to the south and on the western side of Wadi Hanifah. Combined the neighborhoods have a total area of approximately 1029 Ha. The Olaishah neighborhood has a few well-established parks as well quite a large amount streetscape trees already. The Middle Al-Uraija neighborhood is anchored and bordered to the north by long wadis which eventually lead to the Wadi Hanifah. In both cases these neighborhoods have allot of existing raw materials to deploy in simple landscape interventions that will make a very large difference to their neighborhood livability and identity.

DESIGNING FOR SUCCESS For a project with such importance on the environment, InSite emphasized “Designing for Success.” Early decisions were made regarding: schedule, organizing information, phasing, procurement, what’s in the ground, water, and wayfinding. A SENSITIVE APPROACH TO PLACE Particularly at the neighborhood level, we design for all ages and all social groups. Children need room to move and an environment to explore and to learn from. Families need spaces to interact and socialize. The elderly need room to remain active but also to rest and contemplate. We will design spaces for the Olaishah and Middle Al-Uraija neighborhoods that are intergenerational and encourage people of all ages and abilities to be active and enjoy. From our many years in the region we also know that the balance of daytime and night-time use in this arid climate shifts during the seasons. In winter, the public open spaces can have much higher usage during daylight hours, with sport courts, play spaces and green areas teeming with life. A full kit of landscape elements such as trees, palms, shrubs and ground covers, with variation of habit, form, colors, flowers and seasonality shall be used to create more interest during daytime hours. This will be combined with shade structures, iconic reference points, and a robust paving strategy to create the backbone of the design for the neighborhood. Our experience has shown us the importance of creating an impactful night experience for successful neighborhoods. We believe that every neighborhood must have an individual identity within the collective identity of a city and region. Our mission is to discover what makes Olaishah and Middle Al-Uraija neighborhoods unique and articulate it through landscape interventions. Environmental responsibility and sustainability is a key concern for us in the development of the design of this neighborhood where wellness will underpin a reinvigorated public realm. Our team has experience in many arid climates, from Riyadh, the UAE to Las Vegas and Australia and our combined expertise will ensure the constructed interventions will be sustainable, beautiful, and express the identity of Olaishah and Middle Al-Uraija.