In early October 2020, the Colourful Corniche initiative was launched in Jeddah. This was the first official #placemakingproject in Saudi Arabia, as part of the national vision. Vision 2030 aims to improve the urban scene and the quality of public spaces with the objective of improving the quality of urban life.

In this way, the colourful cornice initiative painted roads, pavements and squares to beautify the city, showing the city’s commitment to art. The main objective is to highlight urban design and integrate art and architecture into the urban landscape. But it also raises the level of cultural awareness by improving access to contemporary works of art in everyday life.

The initiative was designed by @ppmxstudio (directed by @dradelzahrani) and coordinated by the charity organization @ojksa21, alongside the municipality @jeddahamanah

15 projects were developed under this initiative. One of them was on the central island of the south cornice (images 1-5). There, 4500 m were converted in 8 phases, creating a vibrant urban scene with geometric patterns.

Another objective of these projects is to engage the community, involving different stakeholders and residents to take part in improving the quality of public space. Proof of its success is that more than 2,750 residents participated in the conversion of the central island of the South Corniche.

In addition, the municipality implemented various activities to reactivate the spaces, such as workshops or a formula 1 demonstration.

Photo by: @salem.jpg, @ksaf_samf, @artistwme, @soulndrone, @dradelzahrani