Translating SITES for climate resilience in arid landscapes

A park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has become the first project in the country to earn certification under SITES, a green-landscape rating system similar in spirit to LEED but focused on outdoor spaces rather than buildings. The King Abdullah Financial District Park earned SITES Gold, a notable feat given the region's extreme climate: summers routinely top 113°F with less than 4 inches of rain a year.

The project's design offers some ideas that translate to hot, dry climates generally. Because rainfall is too rare to rely on for water features, the park's irrigation and stormwater systems instead draw on treated wastewater from the city's sewer network. Water features are placed in shaded, densely planted areas paired with light-colored paving to avoid becoming heat traps in direct sun. Shade itself came from more than 300 trees, including large, mature "hero trees" grown in nurseries and acclimated to the site before planting, plus nine built shade structures. The park also added lighting for nighttime use, along with play areas, fitness amenities and food space, features that helped it become a popular family destination after opening in early 2026.

This is a story about how landscape design is adapting to extreme heat and water scarcity, not a program with a direct step for homeowners. But some of the underlying ideas — shading water features, prioritizing mature tree canopy, and rethinking irrigation where rain is scarce — are the same kinds of choices that shape comfort and water use in any hot-climate yard.