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Saudi capital city to get $23 billion makeover

Riyadh - Level 4

Saudi Arabia will invest $23 billion to improve its capital city, Riyadh. A project will beautify the city, create thousands of jobs, boost leisure and tourism, and create "one of the world's most livable cities". A further $15 billion in private sector funding will finance business opportunities. Saudi's Crown Prince will oversee the ambitious project as part of his Vision 2030 initiative. This aims to diversify Saudi's revenue sources and not rely on oil.

Other world capitals can only dream of such huge money. Saudi will improve the quality of life for Riyadh's 5 million residents. A focus on leisure will see over 130km of cycling track, a huge new park and hundreds of art installations. Riyadh will be a greener city, with 16 times the amount of green space. It will have 7.5 million new trees and dozens of community gardens. Work on the project will begin later this year and will take around 10 years to complete.

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Riyadh - Level 5

Saudi Arabia's government will invest $23 billion in a huge makeover for its capital city, Riyadh. This is part of a project to beautify the city, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, boost leisure and tourism, and create "one of the world's most livable cities". In addition, a further $15 billion in private sector funding will finance investment opportunities for businesses. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will oversee the ambitious project. It is part of his Vision 2030 initiative aimed at diversifying the kingdom's revenue sources and move away from relying on oil.

Other world capitals can only dream of receiving such vast amounts of money. Saudi aims to improve the quality of life for Riyadh's 5 million residents. A focus on leisure will make people happier. There will be over 130km of cycling track, a huge new park and hundreds of art installations. Riyadh will be a greener city. The amount of green space per person will increase 16-fold. Over 7.5 million trees will be planted and dozens of community gardens created. Work on the project will begin in the second half of the year. It will create 70,000 jobs and take around 10 years to complete.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Riyadh - Level 6

Saudi Arabia's government has announced it will invest a whopping $23 billion in a massive makeover for its capital city, Riyadh. The huge investment is part of a project to beautify the city, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, boost leisure and tourism, and transform Riyadh into "one of the world's most livable cities". In addition to the government's cash injection, a further $15 billion in private sector funding will help finance huge investment opportunities for businesses. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will head the committee overseeing the ambitious project. It is part of the Crown Prince's Vision 2030 initiative aimed at diversifying the kingdom's revenue sources and reducing its reliance on oil.

The plan is set to be the envy of other world capitals, which can only dream of being awarded such vast amounts of money. It aims to improve the quality of life for the capital's 5 million residents. A focus on leisure is integral to making people happier. The plan includes the construction of over 130km of cycling track, a park that will be quadruple the size of New York's Central Park, and hundreds of art installations. Riyadh will be a greener city as the amount of green space per person will be increased by 16-fold. This will be achieved by planting 7.5 million trees and creating dozens of community gardens. Work will begin in the second half of the year. It will create 70,000 jobs and take up to a decade to complete.

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson