Saudi Arabia has announced that work has started on three city parks in the capital spanning a 550,000-sq-m area as part of its Green Riyadh programme.

Launched by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and initiated by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Green Riyadh aims to plant over 7.5 million trees in the kingdom’s capital, increasing the city’s green cover to nine per cent and raising the per capita green space from 1.7 sq m to 28 sq m, reported SPA.

This megaproject enhances Riyadh’s urban environment through the greening of residential neighbourhoods and contributes to the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) of planting 10 billion trees across the Kingdom as part of Saudi Vision 2030.

These parks, being developed in the neighbourhoods of Al Munsiyah, Al Rimmal and Al Qadisiyah, will boast 18 km of walking trails, 8 km of running tracks, 8.5 km of cycling paths and 22 kids play areas.

The initiative aims to raise the quality of life, provide recreational spaces for residents and visitors, increase the per capita green space by 16 times its current level.

According to Saudi officials, the designs of the three city parks, situated in the eastern part of Riyadh, complement the natural landscape of Wadi Sulai and are seamlessly connected with the Sports Boulevard through green pedestrian streets and corridors. More than 585,000 trees and shrubs will be planted, covering 65 per cent of the park’s area.