002 - Greening Riyadh Inside Saudi Arabia’s $10 Billion Urban Oasis with Jovita Stander

What does it take to grow 7.5 million trees across a capital city? 🌳Jovita Stander takes us inside Green Riyadh, a Multi-Billion-dollar mega project that is set to transform the capital city of Saudi Arabia into a green oasis.

In this episode of The Major Project Podcast, Orion sits down with Jovita Stander—a project controls director now with Knight Frank and formerly on Green Riyadh, one of the world’s most ambitious urban-afforestation efforts under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Beyond planting trees, the program aims to improve public health and livability (from increased exercise to longer life expectancy) and expand women’s participation in the workforce.

Jovita explains how the team coordinates canopy, parks, and stormwater scopes across a city that’s rapidly growing—and why it’s a program, not a single project. She details how treated-sewage-effluent irrigation is delivered through a ~1,300 km network, and how Primavera P6 and ArcGIS are linked with common location codes so progress, costs, and scope all reconcile at street, mosque, and neighborhood levels.

They also cover the KPI outcomes that matter: lowering ambient temperatures by 1–2°C, cutting CO₂ by 3–6%, adding close-to-home green spaces (≤ 300 m away), and using native species (≈ 72 types) that thrive with minimal water. Leadership takeaways abound—from setting one source of truth and common cut-off dates to presenting with clarity and candor in high-stakes rooms.

🎧 You’ll learn

• How Vision 2030 frames Green Riyadh’s health, livability, and inclusion goals.
• Why Green Riyadh operates as a city-wide program (roads, neighborhoods, “smart” parks) instead of a single project.
• How P6 ↔ ArcGIS coding keeps scope, cost, and progress aligned.
• The role of treated-sewage-effluent and a ~1,300 km network in irrigating green assets.
• KPI targets: temperature, air quality, stormwater capture, and proximity to parks.