Riyadh—Mohammed Jamous
Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the third edition of the “Distinguished City Projects During the Reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” which took place in Riyadh from September 24 to 28, 2022, with the participation of numerous government and private entities. The exhibition was accompanied by a forum “The Impact of the National Transformation Program on Saudi Cities.”
70 Entities Showcase Their Major Projects
Over the course of five days, more than 70 entities, sectors, and institutions showcased the major projects currently being implemented in the Kingdom through effective public-private partnerships, to develop and advance all regions, cities, and provinces of the Kingdom in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
200 Certified Smart Services
During his speech at the opening ceremony, Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail confirmed that the ministry has adopted a smart cities strategy for the municipal sector, through which 200 smart services will be made available, based on artificial intelligence and data technologies, in various fields such as smart parking management, smart spatial planning, smart waste management, smart monitoring, and engaging city residents to understand their needs andease of access to services. He also highlighted the development of a comprehensive national plan to address visual pollution by identifying its root causes and determining solutions, enablers, and a roadmap to address all aspects of visual pollution in cities, and to improve essential services—which rely heavily on innovative solutions and the use of artificial intelligence and data technologies to address the root causes and optimize the management of city services.
Serving 1.4 million Saudi families
Al-Hogail also addressed the Ministry’s efforts in the housing sector, explaining that since the start of the housing program, the Ministry has served more than 1.4 million Saudi families, of which approximately 641,000 have moved into their homes, as part of the effort to provide exceptional residential communities. The Ministry also aims to deliver approximately 30,000 housing units to Saudi families in the coming period, in an effort to raise the homeownership rate to 70% by 2030. He emphasized that work is underway to create sustainable communities that provide all exemplary services to citizens in accordance with international standards and requirements.
10 panel discussions and 12 workshops
It is worth noting that the forum accompanying the exhibition discussed several important topics during 10 panel discussions and 12 workshops, with the participation of 46 speakers, relating to Saudi cities, including the positive impact of Vision initiatives on Saudi cities, the future of economic and investment opportunities in various regions and cities of the Kingdom, sustainability in housing, and the challenges facing the development of Saudi cities.
