HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar chairs HCDR’s first meeting of 1439H
On October 18 , 2017, HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, Chairman of the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (HCDR), chaired the HCDR’s first meeting of 1439H in the presence of HRH Prince Muhammad bin Abdulrahman bin Abdul Aziz, Vice-Chairman of the HCDR.
In a statement to the press, HRH Chairman of the HCDR, praised the noble directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, for taking all necessary measures to serve the country and facilitate the lives of citizens.
HRH said that the meeting took a number of decisions including adopting the metropolitan entrances’ architectural plans, approving the indicators of 1438H issued by Riyadh Urban Observatory, adopting a set of measures to address the current situation at the Al Nasim Car Showrooms area, and clearout of illegal businesses from residential neighborhoods.
Development of 10 entrances to the city of Riyadh
According to HE Engr. Ibrahim Al-Sultan, member of the High Commission for Development of Arriyadh and President of Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), the meeting approved the architectural plans of 10 entrances to the city of Riyadh, which have been developed based on a careful study of the selected locations and assessment of the current and future size of traffic there.
The architectural plans of the entrances meet all the architectural, economic and service needs. Moreover, areas have been allocated for the commercial activities, traffic checkpoints and pedestrian bridges linking the two sides of the road.
Updating the Metropolitan Development Strategy for the Arriyadh Region (MEDSTAR)
The meeting approved the award of a contract for updating MEDSTAR, a project which aims to:
- Evaluate the performance of the strategy and follow up on its operational aspects
- Keep pace with the changes expected in the city after the completion of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport (Metro & Buses)
- Achieve environmental sustainability in the city
- Enhance the various aspects of metropolitan economic development
Approval of Riyadh Urban Observatory indicators of 1438H
The meeting also approved the 117 urban indicators issued by the Riyadh Urban Observatory for 1438H. This is the second edition of the indicators, which address the key urban issues in the city, such as the following:
| Key Urban Indicators of the City of Riyadh (1438H) | |
| Indicator | Value |
| Population Growth Rate | 4% |
| Hospital beds (per 1000 people) | 23.8 |
| Average Class Size (Boys and Girls – Primary Education) | 23.9 |
| Divorce Rate per 100 Marriages | 42 |
| Population living in slums (% of the total urban population) | 0.23% |
| Male unemployment rates (% of the total workforce) | 6% |
| Mortality caused by road traffic injury (per 100,000 people) | 10.8 |
| Number of trees planted (per 100,000 people) | 307 |
| Population satisfaction with life quality in general | 76% |
Unified digital map of building and land use regulations in Riyadh city
The meeting adopted the inauguration of the unified digital map of building and land uses regulations in Riyadh City. The map allows access to all the relevant metropolitan regulations, covering 1.2 million plots of land and 1700 approved architectural plans. The map offers its services via its website: http://rbrs.sa.
Measures addressing the issues of Al Nasim Car Showrooms
The meeting adopted a number of executive measures to address the issues at Al Nasim Car Showrooms area, notably:
- End all municipal and traffic violations
- Transform all exhibition buildings into closed showrooms
- No parking areas or public spaces should be used to display cars
Measures to promote clearout of illegal businesses from residential neighborhoods
In the same context, the meeting was briefed on the progress of the decision to clear the residential neighborhoods of illegal businesses, premises, uses and all other activities in violation of approved land use regulations. So far, 2069 properties have been vacated since the launch of the campaign.
Awarding of a bridge project at the intersection of Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz I Road with King Abdullah Road
The meeting also approved the award of the bridge project at the intersection of Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz I road with King Abdullah Road, which will contribute to improving the traffic in the network of surrounding roads.