Saudi Arabia Enhances Urban Quality Of Life In Line With Vision 2030 Goals

The Quality of Life Program in Saudi Arabia is enhancing urban landscapes and services through various initiatives by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. These efforts include increasing public spaces, green areas, and cultural centres. The program has exceeded its target by providing 6.16 square meters per capita of public spaces, surpassing the planned 4.65 square meters.

The ministry has also increased green cover with 8,328 gardens and parks covering 161.5 million square meters. Additionally, over 24 million trees have been planted, and 222.9 million square meters of green spaces have been developed. The Bahja Project aims to transform unused spaces into active urban areas, creating parks in cities and residential areas to improve residents' quality of life.

Significant strides have been made in improving urban design through innovative projects. The road network was extended by about 2,500 kilometers, with over 146,000 new lighting poles installed. Seven new bridges were constructed, bringing the total to 505, along with one more tunnel, making a total of 155 in the country.

The digital transformation initiative introduced new services like the interactive municipal advisor platform for commercial licensing information and the unified Asas system for government resource planning. In 2023, new or renewed commercial licenses reached 696,457; a 35.7% increase in new licenses and a 50% increase in renewals.

The Ministry's Sakani Metaverse platform and Balady app have received international recognition, winning awards such as the Middle East Excellence Award for Technology and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Excellence Award. User satisfaction with digital platforms is at an impressive 86%, while complaints have dropped to just 0.9% of the total 8.5 million requests.

Investment in Municipal Real Estate

In the municipal real estate investment sector, initiatives aim to encourage private sector investment and optimize resource use. The Furas platform launched 30 strategic investment services and signed over 5,700 contracts with various municipalities and entities. The Municipal Investment Forum (Furas) revealed significant investment opportunities worth more than SAR12 billion.

The number of government agencies registered on the Furas platform has reached 303, with projects obtaining Ajwad certificates last year totalling 15. Licensed collective dwellings increased to 7,466, with housing capacity growing to accommodate 1,140,321 beds.

Improving Living Conditions for Guest Workers

The initiative to regulate foreign labor housing has achieved numerous milestones throughout Saudi Arabia. Mechanisms for collaboration between relevant government entities have been established to regulate this sector effectively. The privatization of labor housing licensing through engineering offices is another significant achievement.

A comprehensive service guide was issued to inform foreign workers about their rights and duties. A beneficiary satisfaction assessment has been activated across all government entities. The "voice of the beneficiaries" service allows guest workers to share their opinions instantly on service quality.

The Quality of Life Program continues to make substantial progress in enhancing urban living conditions across Saudi Arabia through these diverse initiatives aimed at improving public facilities and services.

With inputs from SPA