Green Infrastructure and the Future of Saudi Arabia’s Cities

Saudi Arabia’s transformation is increasingly visible not only through new buildings and major developments, but through the spaces between them.

Parks, shaded pedestrian areas, irrigation infrastructure, green corridors and public spaces are becoming an important part of how the Kingdom is shaping its cities and destinations.

Recent progress in Riyadh shows that this shift is already moving into measurable delivery.

In an August 2026 update, Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life Program reported that during 2025 its urban design initiatives included 166 parks across 11 regions, more than 800,000 trees planted and nearly 1.84 million square metres of newly developed green areas. Public space availability also reached 6.10 square metres per capita, above the program target of 4.92 square metres.

Landscape as Infrastructure

In Saudi Arabia’s climate, landscaping is much more than planting.

Successful projects require landscape architecture, irrigation engineering, water management, drainage, soil preparation, species selection and long term horticultural management.

The Green Riyadh Program demonstrates the scale of this requirement. The Royal Commission for Riyadh City aims to plant more than 7.5 million trees by 2030 and significantly increase green space across the capital.

In August 2026, further progress was reported at Shayb Ghudwanah, where approximately 15,000 native trees and shrubs have been planted as part of a five kilometre natural park with 22 kilometres of walking tracks.

Temperatures within the rehabilitated area were reported to be approximately 5 degrees Celsius lower than surrounding areas, demonstrating how properly designed landscapes can contribute to urban cooling, pedestrian comfort and quality of life.

A Growing Market for Integrated Capability

This shift creates a strong opportunity for experienced international landscape companies.

Hoffend Partners is also bringing a significant and highly established North American landscaping group into this conversation, with substantial scale and proven capability spanning landscape architecture, irrigation, construction, horticulture and long term landscape management.

Its breadth of expertise and depth of delivery experience bring a valuable international dimension to a Saudi market where landscaping is increasingly being recognised not simply as a finishing element, but as an essential component of urban infrastructure and destination development.

The Kingdom’s new communities, hospitality destinations and public spaces require landscapes that can perform in demanding climatic conditions, use water efficiently and maintain high visual standards throughout their operating life.

This places increasing importance on integrated expertise across design, irrigation, construction and ongoing landscape management.

From Projects to Places

For Hoffend Partners, this opportunity reflects a wider change in the Saudi market.

The focus is increasingly shifting from constructing individual assets toward creating complete environments and destinations.

Saudi Arabia’s next phase of development will not be defined only by its skyline. It will also be defined at ground level, where people live, walk, gather and experience the city.

Landscape infrastructure will be central to getting that right.