The Rua Al-Madinah project, a huge multi-functional real estate development to the east of the Prophet’s Mosque, was recently unveiled by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
The crown prince, who also serves as the chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and the Public Investment Fund, conveyed just how impactful this project will be. In accordance with the Saudi Press Agency, the crown prince highlighted how the project is assisting the ambitions of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. But he also went on to say how the project will have significant importance in helping to increase the capacity to host Umrah pilgrims to an impressive 30 million in the years to come.
The project is to be constructed by Rua Al-Madinah Holding Co., the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) owned company. Upon its completion, it is also anticipated that the project will contribute SR140 million ($37.25 million) to the gross domestic product of Saudi Arabia.
KEY FEATURES AND FACILITIES
The Rua Al-Madinah project will cover 1.5 million meters squared, 63 percent of which will consist of open and green areas.
Yet, the sheer scale of the project doesn’t end there. The development will have a carrying capacity of up to 149,000 visitors per day. This is particularly advantageous in helping to accommodate greater quantities of tourists and Umrah pilgrims wishing to visit the Prophet’s Mosque.
Along with offering easy access to the mosque and neighboring residential and commercial areas, the project will also have nine bus stops, a metro station, underground parking, and autonomous vehicle tracks. Equally, 93,000 jobs will also be created, and 47,000 hotel rooms will exist.
Extra-wide pedestrian corridors in the project’s cutting-edge architecture make it possible for people to easily and immediately access the squares of the Prophet’s Mosque. The "Ahwash Houses" of Al-Madinah served as the inspiration for the project and form a group of superblocks with shared basements and separate entrances. These act as a means to enhance mobility and connectivity to the visitor parking facilities as well as to the shared services and loading facilities for the buildings.
SUSTAINABLE APPEAL OF THE PROJECT
In addition to creating a wide variety of new job opportunities, the project intends to increase the quality of life of Madinah’s residents. But above all else raising Madinah’s status as a modern Islamic and cultural pilgrimage destination is a core appeal to and goal of the development.
The project aims to maintain a clean and healthy environment by utilizing cutting-edge technology and smart infrastructure to guarantee a sustainable ecosystem. In public spaces and pedestrian corridors, an automatic underground solid waste collection system is to be implemented.
This all sits nicely in line with the forward thinking and environmentally conscious aims set out by Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
