Saudi Arabia is undergoing a huge transformation as the Kingdom aims to reduce its dependence on oil and diversify its economy to incorporate public services and tourism under its Vision 2030 project. Some of most prolific giga and megaprojects include:
The AlUla Project
🌴 The AlUla project involves developing an archaeological, cultural and tourist complex, with the aim of making the AlUla, an ancient oasis city in the Medina province, into one of the Kingdom’s cultural capitals.
🌴 Hegra, an archaeological site in the AlUla area, is Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Diriyah Gate
🌴 Backed by The Public Investment Fund (PIF) Diriyah Company is in charge of restoring historic Diriyah, the first capital of Saudi Arabia.
🌴 A short drive from Riyadh city centre, it will involve creating entertainment, retail, hospitality, education, office and residential areas, including more than 20 hotels and a collection of museums.
Jeddah Central
🌴 Jeddah Central is another massive urban development project, and aims to make Jeddah into a world-class destination capitalising on its location on the Red Sea coast and its proximity to religious pilgrimage destinations Makkah (also known as Mecca) and Madinah.
🌴 The project will come in three phases, and involves the construction of the waterfront with a marina ready to receive yachts from inside and outside the kingdom, a sandy beach, an opera house, a museum, a sports stadium, an Oceanarium and coral farms. It will also involve the construction of 17,000 housing units and 2,700 hotel rooms.
The Line (Neom)
🌴 One of the most ambitious construction projects anywhere on the planet, The Line is a multi-billion-dollar linear city.
🌴 Instead of roads, it will be linked by a single high-speed rail line, with a journey from end to end taking just 20 minutes.
Mohammed bin Salman Non-profit City (MISK)
🌴 A short drive from downtown Riyadh, MISK y is supported by Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman’s personal foundation.
🌴 The city promises to be an “incubator for youth and volunteer groups as well as local and international non-profit institutions”. It will consist of schools, colleges, a conference centre, a science museum, an arts academy and gallery, a theatre and a residential complex.
The Mukaab (and New Murabba)
🌴 Backed by PIF it will consist of a 400m tall and 400m wide cube city called The Mukaab which will be the centrepiece of a new downtown in Riyadh.
🌴 The wider New Murabba project will feature green areas and walking and cycle paths to promote healthy lifestyles. It will also be home to a museum, technology and design museum, theatre, and more than 80 entertainment and cultural venues. The plan involves building 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, 980,000 sq m of retail space, and 1.4 million sq m of office space.
Oxagon (Neom)
🌴 Oxagon will be home to a research and innovation campus at a port location.
🌴 It will also contain a residential community and hotels.
Qiddiya
🌴 Backed by PIF they are building a ‘disruptive’ new destination city based around entertainment, sports and culture.
🌴 It will feature theme parks, sports arenas, a Jack Niklaus-branded golf course, academies for sports and the arts, concert and entertainment venues, race tracks and nature and environment experiences, as well as housing.
Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven)
🌴 PIF-owned entertainment and recreation company Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven) is developing a project that involves a 4,000 sq m family entertainment centre with an e-karting track, a Discovery Adventures centre offering treks, treehouse trails and educational missions, and a Play-Doh entertainment centre.
🌴 The project is part of Saudi Arabia’s plans to welcome 100 million visitors per year by 2030.
Trojena (Neom)
🌴 Trojena, will be a ski resort 50km from the Gulf of Aqaba coast.
🌴 The alpine and adventure sports resort would cover nearly 60 square kilometres, featuring 36km of ski slopes, 42,000 sq m of retail and dining outlet space, over 3,600 hotel rooms and serviced apartments, and a 3,000-seat mountainside amphitheatre.
Roshn
🌴 Backed by PIF, Roshn Group is a real estate developer in charge of delivering 400,000 homes across Saudi Arabia by 2030.
🌴 Its goal is to increase the Kingdom’s rate of home ownership to 70%.
Red Sea
🌴 Red Sea is one of the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism projects, and, is putting people and the planet first whilst providing employment opportunities in tourism and hospitality.
🌴 The hospitality development consists of high end hotels and will be surrounded by the world’s fourth-largest barrier reef system.
