King Salman Park

King Salman Park is a transformative urban development in the heart of Riyadh that will rank among the largest urban parks in the world upon completion. Situated on the former site of Riyadh Air Base, an area spanning more than sixteen square kilometres in the central part of the Saudi capital, the park represents a fundamental reimagining of urban space that converts a disused military installation into a verdant public amenity of global significance. The project is developed under the auspices of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and embodies Vision 2030’s commitment to enhancing quality of life, expanding cultural and recreational infrastructure, and establishing Riyadh as a liveable global city.

Location and Scale

The park occupies a strategically significant site in central Riyadh, bounded by some of the capital’s most prominent thoroughfares and adjacent to established residential and commercial districts. The sixteen-square-kilometre footprint makes it one of the most substantial urban-park developments ever undertaken globally, exceeding the area of Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London by considerable margins. The scale of the site permits a diversity of programming and landscape treatment that would be impossible on a smaller footprint, enabling the park to serve multiple functions simultaneously without compromising the quality or tranquillity of any single zone.

The decision to repurpose a former military airfield for public parkland reflects a broader pattern in Riyadh’s urban development under Vision 2030, in which government-controlled land assets are being redeployed to serve social and economic objectives that extend beyond their original institutional purposes. The conversion of the air base removes a significant barrier to urban connectivity, stitching together neighbourhoods that were previously divided by restricted-access military land.

Design Vision

The park’s master plan was developed through an international design competition that attracted leading landscape-architecture and urban-design firms from around the world. The winning design integrates naturalistic landscape zones with programmed cultural, recreational, and commercial facilities, creating a layered park experience that caters to diverse user groups and activities.

Central to the design philosophy is the concept of an urban oasis that draws on the ecological and cultural heritage of the Arabian Peninsula while incorporating contemporary landscape-design principles. Native and adapted plant species form the backbone of the park’s planting strategy, reducing irrigation demands and creating habitat for local fauna. Water features, including lakes and flowing waterways, provide visual amenity and microclimatic cooling, drawing on traditional Arabian garden design while employing modern water-recycling technologies that minimise freshwater consumption.

Key Features and Amenities

King Salman Park incorporates an extensive programme of amenities designed to attract residents and visitors throughout the year. Among the most prominent features are the Royal Arts Complex, which will house performing-arts venues, galleries, and cultural exhibition spaces positioned to become anchors of Riyadh’s emerging cultural scene. The arts complex is intended to host international touring productions, national cultural events, and community programming that serve both the city’s resident population and its growing tourist market.

Recreational facilities include sports fields, running and cycling trails, children’s play areas, and dedicated zones for outdoor fitness activities. The park’s trail network extends over tens of kilometres, providing continuous walking and cycling routes that connect the park’s various precincts and link to the broader urban mobility network. The sheer extent of the trail system enables users to engage in extended recreational activity without retracing their routes, an unusual amenity in urban-park design.

Commercial elements include retail, dining, and hospitality facilities distributed along the park’s primary circulation routes. These are designed to animate the park’s edges and activity nodes while generating revenue that contributes to the park’s operational sustainability. A limited quantum of residential development is planned for the park’s periphery, creating a live-in community with direct parkland access.

The park also includes a dedicated area for the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum, honouring the site’s military heritage while providing an educational attraction that complements the park’s broader cultural programming.

Environmental Significance

King Salman Park is among the most consequential green-infrastructure investments in the Middle East. Riyadh’s arid climate and rapid urbanisation have historically limited the provision of public green space, and the park addresses a long-standing deficit in per-capita parkland availability. The project is expected to measurably improve local environmental conditions, including air quality, urban-heat-island mitigation, and biodiversity support.

The park’s environmental-design strategy incorporates several sustainability innovations. Treated sewage effluent and greywater recycling provide the primary irrigation supply, reducing demand on desalinated or groundwater sources. Solar energy installations contribute to the park’s operational energy requirements. Soil remediation of the former airfield site has been undertaken to ensure environmental suitability for public use and planting.

The greening of such a large urban area is expected to have measurable effects on Riyadh’s microclimate, reducing ambient temperatures in the park and surrounding neighbourhoods through evapotranspiration and shading. This ecological benefit aligns with the Kingdom’s Green Initiative, which targets the planting of tens of billions of trees across Saudi Arabia to combat desertification and improve environmental quality.

Urban Integration and Connectivity

The park is designed for integration with Riyadh’s evolving urban-transport network. Dedicated metro stations on the Riyadh Metro system will provide direct public-transport access, reducing dependence on private vehicles and enabling city-wide accessibility. Bus rapid transit, cycling infrastructure, and pedestrian connections further enhance multimodal access.

The park’s internal circulation design prioritises pedestrians and cyclists, with service and emergency vehicles accommodated through discrete below-grade networks that preserve the park’s car-free character at surface level. Underground parking facilities at key entry points accommodate visitors arriving by private vehicle without intruding on the parkland experience.

Timeline and Delivery

Construction of King Salman Park has progressed through enabling works, including site clearance, demolition of former military structures, soil remediation, and utility relocation. The park is being developed in phases, with initial zones expected to open to the public in advance of full project completion. The phased approach allows early public benefit while permitting continued construction on subsequent zones, a strategy that maintains momentum and public engagement throughout the multi-year delivery programme.