Many of you would know what Qiddiya is all about, and a few would have gone deep into understanding it. I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of Qiddiya. I am creative and imaginative- but this was at a different level. It could be the money that makes it happen. However, it reminded me of a quote that AG Krishnamurthy often referred to in Mudra: To realise a dream, you must first dream it.
After being exposed to many development project advertising and the inbuilt exaggerated promises and plans, I wasn’t prepared for what Qiddiya was about.
Trapped And Pulled Into The Experience.
An innocent-looking tweet with an engaging audiovisual of some 150 seconds trapped me into going through an entire website where the thought was totally integrated and amplified. Why not? What started as a sizeable thematic entertainment park has blown into something expected: the giant 365 sq km megacity in Saudi Arabia. The Qiddiya project just outside Riyad, at a cost of 75 Billion Dollars, is expected to have 600K residents and bring in some 48 Million visitors annually! Promising a place where you never run out of things to do and places to go!
Here, watch the Audio-Visual that pushed me to take the trip to a well-made website that engaged you on all counts.
The Promise Reflected At Qiddiya.
One cannot but agree with the statement, A life well lived is a life well played.
One could feel the sentiment while watching the audio-visuals and browsing the website. It sounded so right. “Qiddiya Is The World’s Most Passionate Ambassador Of Play. A Beacon Of Hope For A Better Future, Where Play Is Not Just For The Playtime, It Is A Way Of Life… Play Is Essential To Living A Complete And Holistic Life. And As We (Qiddiya) Build Cities, We Build Lives. We Play Life.” And Riyad would be a perfect foil and example, some 45 Km from Qiddiya.
There is a survey that is used to build the logic of play and life in KSA ( Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). You could ignore it- this is the only offbeat part of the whole presentation.
You can agree or disagree when it says that 90% of adults agree that play is as important for the well-being of adults as it is for children! 77% believe they would be happier in life if they played more, and 73% believe they would generate more ideas and create new things if they played more. I ignored it as an overplay, but the integration of communication with the project cannot be faulted or doubled.
Watch the audio-visual that gives you an introduction to what to expect.
The Six Power Of Play at Qiddiya.
I loved this segment, and if you want to read more, you can visit the website. It talks of the profound effect of play on the human mind and body and how it plays a significant role in developing cognitive abilities like critical thinking, problem-solving and memory. How play is being used to fight against neurodegenerative disorders in adults like dementia, including diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. And that immediately kicked in the mental demand to indulge in some play and games. The six powers are to Thrive, Create, Imagine, Connect, Grow, and Escape. The whole text, with the rightly justified visuals in this section, makes the web experience grand, just like the project. Truly a project that can claim to say with confidence- Qiddiya City- where fantasy meets life and gaming takes on another level.
THE NUMBING MEGA NUMBERS OF QIDDIYA
The numbers are numbing enough. The largest theme entertainment park spans 80 acres, the tallest at 160 m, the longest at 4 Km and the fastest at 250 Km/hour Falcon Flight roller coaster. A 23-ride, 63-acre water park constructed at 750 Million dollar cost. A Jack Nicklaus Golf course. A 7 KM race track for competitions and passenger rides. Concert arena and much more. It will host the athlete village and competitions in the 2034 Asian Games. And there are videos of the progress under Watch Play Progress.
Sustainability is built into the project. The project claims to work towards protecting the indigenous flora and fauna and the invaluable Arabian Heritage. It works for Enhanced Biodiversity, sustainable mobility for the community, waste management, and water resource optimisation- all planning to help achieve Qiddiya’s goal to meet Saudi Arabia’s 2030 environmental sustainability compliance vision. All signs of a place that knows what it is doing and is ready for the future.
NETNET.
It is superb, brilliant and unprecedented. The project, communication and the website.
The dream is there and is taking shape. I don’t know when and how I will ever visit the place, but trust me, it is going into the bucket list of all the people with an iota of play in them. I hope it is completed in time. A minor escalation in the cost would bother the bankers for the project. The worry is the saying- whenever the tallest, longest, and largest projects are completed – an economic meltdown follows. I hope we are wrong this time.
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