Turning New Murabba into a 15-minute city, aligning with Saudi Vision 2023

New Murabba is designed as a next-generation, walkable district in Riyadh, based on the 15-minute city model. The project integrates residential, commercial, cultural, and leisure functions within a highly connected, human-centric environment spanning 14 million sqm of mixed-use downtown space.

Rooted in sustainability and innovation, the master plan allocates 25% of the site to green and open spaces, reinforcing its ambition to become a global benchmark for livable, future-ready cities.

A key challenge was to translate this vision into measurable outcomes, ensuring that the 15-minute city principles could be validated through robust accessibility and mobility analyses.

Launched in 2023 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the project has since progressed rapidly, with significant milestones achieved in 2024 and major construction advancements in 2025, including infrastructure delivery and the development of landmark assets such as The Mukaab.

Systematica supported AtkinsRéalis in the development of the New Murabba Detailed Master Plan (DMP), delivering advanced walkability and crowd modelling studies aligned with the project’s vision and transport strategy.

Our contribution focused on validating the feasibility of the 15-minute city framework through quantitative, evidence-based analysis. This included assessing land use diversity and density to compute walkability metrics and derive a comprehensive Walk Score for the district.

Systematica applied an integrated, multi-scale modelling approach to evaluate pedestrian and cycling performance across the master plan.

Key activities included:

• Assessment of pedestrian and cycling flows and Levels of Service (LOS) at the district scale
• Walkscore analysis to measure accessibility to key amenities
• Macroscopic crowd modeling simulations for large-scale pedestrian and cycling flows, for both baseline conditions and major event scenarios
• Microscopic crowd modeling simulations to capture detailed flow behaviors at strategic locations during event scenarios

These analyses enabled the identification of potential congestion points and informed the development of targeted crowd management and mitigation strategies within the master plan.

Systematica’s work provided decision-support tools that directly informed the optimisation of New Murabba’s urban structure and mobility framework, ensuring alignment with its long-term vision as Riyadh’s new modern downtown—a beacon of tech, innovation, and sustainability, vital for Saudi Vision 2030.

We thus contributed to New Murabba’s positioning as a future globally significant, walkable downtown district, defined by seamless integration of land uses, strong sustainability principles, and a diversified urban experience.