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Mega-events, such as Expos, should be planned for their legacy and ability to offer a world-standard event on the way to a better city. 

It has the potential to raise awareness of a city worldwide and promote economic growth. 

Infrastructure, such as public transport, airports, and road development and improvements, should serve the city’s long-term needs, and that requires massive investment.

Saudi Arabia, which will be hosting the 2030 World Expo, becoming the second Middle Eastern city to host the international event after Dubai in 2020, has unveiled plans to spend around $92 billion within the next seven years to transform Riyadh into one of the most sustainable cities in the world through massive initiatives such as the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) and King Salman Park Initiative. 

Since SGI was launched in 2021,  more than 43 million trees have been planted throughout the kingdom, and 94,000 hectares of degraded land are being rehabilitated. 

To coincide with Expo 2030 in Riyadh, Princess Haifa bint Mohammed Al Saud, the Vice Minister of Tourism, expressed the important role that urban development has in shifting Riyadh into one of the most sustainable cities by 2030. 

“One of those ways is to have more green spaces, and it’s the King Salman Park Initiative that we are going to develop in the middle of the city to enhance and create that,” she said.

Meanwhile, Saleh Al Jasser, Minister of Transportation, Saudi Arabia, discussed the action to decarbonize urban transport across the country.

“We are implementing remote work in government agencies, which helps reduce demand for daily travel,” he said.

“To shift to less carbon-intensive modes of transport, we have set ambitious targets to increase the share of public transport, with the Riyadh bus and metro projects well underway,” he added.