With a population of over five million, Riyadh, as the capital of Saudi Arabia, is a rapidly growing city with new residential, commercial development and expanding infrastructure and services. On the other hand, public transportation (such as buses, metro, or streetcars) does not follow the same exponential growth as real estate development. The primary means of transportation is the automobile, and street and highway development lacks accommodation for pedestrians. Residents who would like to walk from home to the mosque, school, corner store, or to an office on main street struggle to find safe and comfortable walkways. Moreover, the new residential districts are being multiplied from old plans that have been designed in the 1950s for vehicle based transportation, however, what has been done in reality is only based on automobile not leaving the pedestrian rights to be on documents and drawings.
In my proposal I will take into account revitalizing an existing neighborhood by developing walkable spaces and safe streets while addressing safety, cultural, economical, and ecological issues. Therefore, my design will provide opportunities for a healthy community and better society. A healthy community will create alternatives for people who want to walk or in some cases have to. Furthermore, it will bring the original district back, a district where neighbors know each other and communicate on a daily base. The site, called Almasif District, is one of the traditional neighborhoods that has been design by Dioxides located in the north part of Riyadh. The district is almost built and the majority of the residents are middle-class income. Almasif district has mainly residential parcels because it is a residential neighborhood; mixed-use parcels are located on the major streets within and surrounding the district and some public institutions such as mosques, schools, parks, and services. Its population is nearly 22,000 people.