Babel: Translating the Middle East
A Mezze: Saudis Take to the Streets
Jul 18, 2023
Saudi Arabia is promoting a quiet revolution of walking through urban planning projects. The government faces challenges in improving mobility. Efforts include forming walking groups and initiatives to encourage citizens to walk more and improve step counts.
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Quick takeaways
- The Saudi government is actively promoting walking as a means to improve citizen health through initiatives like the Health City Initiative and organizing walks along promenades in cities like Jeddah and Riyadh.
- Saudi Arabia is implementing ambitious urban planning projects, such as planting 7.5 million trees by 2030, creating sustainable and walkable cities, and constructing new neighborhoods with prioritized biking and walking infrastructure.
Deep dives
Encouraging walking for better health
The Saudi government is actively promoting walking as a means to improve the health of its citizens. Despite Saudi cities not being very walkable due to high temperatures, poor sidewalks, and few crosswalks, the Ministry of Health launched the Health City Initiative to encourage citizens to participate in national walking challenges. The initiative has gained popularity, with over 50 walking groups organizing walks along promenades in cities like Jeddah and Riyadh. The government is also implementing urban planning projects, such as planting 7.5 million trees by 2030 to reduce temperatures and improve walkability.
