Envisioning Misk City

Riyadh required a bold new district activation strategy to kickstart its innovation incubator, MiSK City. An ambitious 350ha masterplan had been prepared for the city, with the aim of developing a destination that enables innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity. To achieve this, it required a District Activation and Destination Strategy, enabling the masterplan’s goals and create a blueprint for implementation. 

We began with a complex stakeholder engagement and co-design process. This created the project’s mission, purpose and vision. From there, we were able to strategically analyse and evaluate the project’s global and local context.

An economic analysis was conducted using a top-down and bottom-up approach, identifying and prioritising industry sectors, finding opportunities to develop an implementation plan that would make the most of both strategic assets and organisational capabilities. 

Our implementation plan included a place-based activation strategy and governance and operational frameworks. Together, these would support the project’s launch and growth phases.

We developed a touchstone strategy, positioning MiSK City as a vibrant global destination. While maintaining its identity as a well-loved and distinctive local place.