King Abdullah Economic City
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| King Abdullah Economic City مدينة الملك عبدالله الإقتصادية |
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| Province | Makkah Province |
|---|---|
| Area | |
| - City | 173 km² (66.8 sq mi) |
| - Land | 168 km² (64.9 sq mi) |
| - Water | 5 km² (1.9 sq mi) |
| Population (Projected) | |
| - City | 2,000,000 |
| - Metro | 3,807,000 |
| Website: King Abdullah Economic City | |
King Abdullah Economic City (Arabic: مدينة الملك عبدالله اللإقتصادية) is a multi-billion dollar economic project revealed in 2005 in Saudi Arabia. This future city will be located along the Red Sea, around 100 km north of Jeddah. With a total development area of almost 2 billion square feet (173 km2), the City is located between the two Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina and the commercial hub of Jeddah. It will have huge buildings and tall skyscrapers that would be an important landmark in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The project cost is about 100 Billion SAR = $26.6 Billion USD. The City is envisioned as an economic epicenter for the young, in order to disburden the crowded big cities in Saudi Arabia. The basic drivers of the City will be a port with a cargo capacity of 30 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) integrated with an international airport and a railway line which connects important Cities in KSA.
The project is jointly partnered by the highly experienced Emaar Group, Dubai, UAE. A team of international consultants including RSP architects (Singapore), Parsons, SOM, WATG, Cansult and OPM have jointly worked on the project to shape the city design which includes resorts, hotels, marinas, financial island, and university campuses, industrial and port zones.
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The King Abdullah Economic City will be a multi-stage development with construction beginning on Wednesday, 21 December 2005. This mega project will closely integrate itself into the Kingdom’s on-going drive to expand the economy, create employment opportunities for its youthful population and function as a catalyst to attract foreign investment, global trade, commerce and industry. Based on initial forecasts, the project and its several components will create up to 1 million employment opportunities in the various industries and service-oriented companies that will open in the City.
The city plans to open up its first phase, the Industrial Zone, by the second half of 2007. The rest of the city will finish up gradually, expected about 2025.
[edit] City sections
The City is divided into six distinctive components: the Sea Port, Industrial Zone, Central Business District, Resort District, Educational Zone and Residential Communities.
[edit] Central Business District
The Central Business District (CBD) will offer 3.8 million m² of office space, hotels and mixed-use commercial space. The Financial District, within the CBD, has now been doubled in area to cover 14 hectares of land, which will be the largest regional financial nerve center for the world’s leading banks, investment houses and insurance groups..
[edit] Industrial Zone
The Industrial District will cover 63 million m². The 4,400 hectares of land will be dedicated to industrial and light manufacturing facilities - identified as key growth drivers for the Saudi economy - and can now host 2,700 industrial tenants. The Industrial District will have specific initiatives to encourage local entrepreneurs through incubator-like modules. International experts have been consulted to ensure that the Industrial Zone development is in line with best environmental practices. The jobs created will be in industrial and light industries (330,000); research and development (150,000); business and office (200,000); services (115,000); hospitality (60,000) and education and community services (145,000).
[edit] Residential Zone
The residential area will include 260,000 apartments and 56,000 villas,that would cover more than half of the city. This area would include residential, commercial, and recreational areas. Many lots are surrounded by water, the other grounds are embedded in green nature. The area would not only be home for around half a million residents, but also would be enough for ten thousands of tourists. Each district would feature their own public amenities, such as mosques, shops and recreational venues. There will also be an Ice rink.
[edit] Educational zone
The education zone in King Abdullah Economic City will have state-of-the-art schools and universities that will provide education for all levels. Schools will bring general education and specialized courses. King Abdullah Economic City will also have equipped research centers.
[edit] Resorts
The Resort Zone will be designed to feature world-class service and amenities, hoping to draw both local and international tourists. Set to become a major destination on the map of Saudi Arabia and the map of the Middle East as a whole, the Resort will include hotels, shopping centers and other recreational facilities, all built along a pristine part of the Red Sea coastline. The number of hotel rooms and suites are proposed to be 25,000 hotel rooms in more than 120 hotels.
Among the tourist draws at the resort is a championship-standard 18-hole golf course, complete with training facilities and driving range. Adding to the resort will be an equestrian club, yacht club and an exciting range of water sports that will take full advantage of the Red Sea’s unspoilt beaches.
[edit] Sea port
The sea port will be a link between the Kingdom and the rest of the world, and an additional link between Europe, Asia and Africa.
Covering 13.8 million sq meters,the Seaport will be the largest in the region with a capacity of over 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of containers per year, which is significantly higher than all other regional ports,” said Mr. Alabbar. “The port will have facilities to handle cargo and dry bulk, and will be equipped to receive the world’s largest vessels. Another key component of the Port will be a custom-built Hajj Terminal.”
[edit] Parks and wadis
The project has added 4.5 million sq m of parks and wadis that will enhance the aesthetic appeal provided by 4.9 million sq m of new water canals, which are very wide through its entire course thus creating additional waterfront. The canals are inspired by the waterways of Amsterdam and will offer 75 km of pedestrian promenade. With the introduction of the canals, more than 42 linear kilometers of waterfront has been added on to the project. Residents can thus enjoy beach boardwalks, sea water lagoons and the natural beaches fronting the Red Sea. For marine enthusiasts, the project will have five yacht clubs that can berth more than 3,000 vessels.
Building on the socio-cultural environment demanded of living environments, KAEC will have 550 mosques including several Grand Mosques in the residential zones. Several schools will be opened to cater for the educational needs of children in each community apart from a University campus for 18,000 students. A sports stadium will also be part of the project, which will have 45,000 seats.
[edit] Development
Construction has started on King Abdullah Economic City, with the main developers as follows
- Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority
- Emaar
- Savola
- Aseer
- Al-Fozan Co.
- Al-Muhaidib
- Dallah Al-Baraka
- Soigroup
- Bin Laden Group
- Aisaaiy
- AlBabtain
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- City's Project Site
- Rabigh city Rabigh city website
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