Landscape design guidelines are based upon water conservation principles, including water-harvesting techniques such as micro-catchments to capture local rainfall and minimize dependence on irrigation sources. Plantings of local genetic stock of indigenous plants would increase survival rates of self-propagating species and minimize maintenance. Naturalized landscapes are also part of the strategy to protect the Wadi's many animals which have significant species status.

Compared to other major cities in the developed world, Riyadh is sorely lacking in public open space. Naturalized landscapes would provide a welcome contrast to the bustling city. A system of trails will link these natural landscapes to interpretation centres, cultural and heritage sites, and commercial ventures along the length of the Wadi. Encouraging people to venture into the Wadi's natural landscapes will help to educate them about nature and raise consciousness about the importance of ecological sustainability.

3. Water Resource Management Riyadh's rapidly increasing population relies upon desalinated water for its very sustenance, a solution that is costly and not always readily available. Bioremediation of the urban waste water flowing in the Wadi provides a more cost-efective long-term solution to the need for fresh clean water. The reprofiled and regraded main watercourse would support bioremediation. Lined with rocks, stepped with weirs and planted with streambed and stream bank vegetation, the naturalized channel would provide superior conditions for neutralizing pathogens and absorbing excessive nutrients throughout the riparian corridor.

Bioremediation of nutrient and bacterial loads entering the Wadi from treatment plants, ground water and stormwater would be achieved by enhancement of aquatic and adjacent riparian habitats to support a more complex and robust food web ecology. By increasing available oxygen and carbon and creating microhabitats for diverse species, the overall system would provide the building blocks for a complex food web that includes fish cultivated as an alternate protein source for local residents.