At #AECD2025 yesterday, SRMG Think Managing Director Neda Almubarak led an impressive panel with visionary CEOs spearheading some of Riyadh’s most ambitious and redefining development projects, offering deep expertise and insights into how Vision 2030 is being translated into livable, sustainable urban realities
Jerry Inzerillo of Diriyah Company l شركة الدرعية spoke to the power of authenticity in realizing Diriyah’s $64 billion masterplan, delivered on time and on budget. Over three million visitors have already explored its UNESCO World Heritage site. Diriyah’s cultural season welcomed more than one million people, and the project’s commitment to heritage runs deep, with 20million handmade mud bricks being recreated in the traditional Najdi style, restoring the birthplace of Saudi culture both symbolically and physically.
Jayne McGivern of Sports Boulevard Foundation highlighted wellness as the future of urban infrastructure. Stretching 135 km and connected by over 250 km of cycling paths, the Sports Boulevard threads through many of Riyadh’s major projects. As she noted, it is “a sustainable project in every sense of the word; from design, ESG, and materials used to the carbon produced.” Its first open district, in Wadi Hanifa, drew one million visitors in its first month alone, reflecting strong public demand for accessible, active spaces.
George Tanasijevich of King Salman Park Foundation described the park as a green urban revolution, spanning 70% green space and home to over 1.1 million trees and 800 plant species. It is to be the largest urban park in the world, designed to cool the city and reuse water sustainably as a model of ecological urbanism.
As the discussion closed, speakers agreed that Riyadh is not simply expanding, it is being redesigned. Nedaa AlMubarak remarked “Each of these projects is a chapter in a much larger story; one of transformation rooted in identity, driven by innovation, and designed for people”.
AECD 2025 embodies the spirit of meaningful exchange, fostering cooperation and shared learning between urban leaders across regions. The session reflected that ambition in practice, showing how Riyadh’s transformation is contributing to a wider conversation on inclusive, people-centered urban development.