Jeddah to Have 50 New Public Parks - Arab Environment Watch

Arab News

29.5.2007

The Jeddah Municipality has reserved 50 undeveloped plots of land around the city to become public parks and is calling on local philanthropists to sponsor and fund the development of public spaces, a municipal official said yesterday.

The lands, worth an estimated SR30 million, are being developed with the help of private investors willing to sponsor the development of parks as a philanthropic contribution to the city, said Ashraf Al-Turki, who heads the municipality's public-space development efforts.

"We are hoping to see at least 40 fully operational parks by the end of this year," he said.

He said that the municipality had completed various designs for model parks that suit all age groups. The designs include playgrounds, green areas and picnic and other facilities for the residents of Jeddah. Al-Turki said that the municipality had so far completed 14 designs for specialized parks that vary between 5,000 and 7,000 square meters with the possibility of establishing bigger spaces according to the location and need.

The city official said his department would display the designs publicly in the coming months to give a chance for private investors to choose the location and design they wanted to sponsor. He said that the designs included parks with themes such as environmental awareness, a family-oriented park, a children's park, an educational park, a museum park, a celebration hall and others.

All of the proposed designs, said Al-Turki, are flexible and suitable for public needs. They include four main and sub entrances, football pitches, basketball and handball courts, walls for graffiti artists, parking areas and trash receptacles.

In an interview with Arab News, Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh said that the municipality was implementing a drive to develop public parks with the help of the private sector and individual patrons and called on the community to take part in fostering the development of more public spaces.

He noted that the sponsorship not only involved public parks, but also any social activity that could benefit the residents of Jeddah. "The municipality would facilitate all procedures for anyone interested in developing public spaces in the city," the mayor said.

The mayor emphasized that anyone interested in contributing to the development of parks in the municipality must do so through proper channels and must sign an agreement with local officials.

Any changes to public-private agreements, Fakieh said, must also be done through the municipality. Patrons must agree that the project will be free to the public and not a venture for private-sector publicity or profit