Page 34 - U4SSC Factsheet, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 2020

Public Space and Nature, and Environmental Quality

Category KPI Result Performance to Benchmark SDG

Green Areas
(per 100 000 237.60 ha
inhabitants)

Green Area 21.00 %
Accessibility

Protected Natural 11.90 %
Areas

Recreational
Facilities 590 000 m 2
(per 100 000
inhabitants)

EMF Exposure 100.00 %

Noise Exposure Not Reported

Although Riyadh generally performs well in these categories, there is room for improvement as regards
access to green areas. It is important that a city's green areas not only be expansive and contiguous,
but also easily accessible to most citizens. It has been found that the ‘quality and function of green
space as well as their geographic determinants in terms of access are of higher importance than
green space surface per capita; the latter often used by decision makers and public health promoters
in planning. It is also well documented that people who are living closer in proximity to green space
are more likely to use it; as green space provides mental health benefits, social interaction, and has
a “direct relationship with the quality of life of urban dwellers”.’ This is reflected in various studies
11
across different disciplines that have shown that ‘the environmental, ecological and social benefits of
urban green space (UGS) vary according to size, distance and accessibility’. 12

Optimizing green areas: It is recommended, therefore, that Riyadh examine how best to integrate
walkability, accessibility and path networks for green areas into the planning of the city’s subdivisions

28 U4SSC Factsheet | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | June 2020