Sports Boulevard Foundation

A Visionary Collaboration for Urban Transformation

Pavegen partnered with the Sports Boulevard Foundation to deliver a series of energy-generating walkways as part of Riyadh’s largest sustainable urban regeneration initiative. The Sports Boulevard MEGA project stretches across the city from west to east, creating over 135 km of landscaped green pathways designed to promote walking, cycling, sports, and community well-being.

As part of this ambitious transformation, Pavegen installed five interactive walkways that allow people to directly engage with renewable energy through their footsteps.

The Challenge

The Sports Boulevard Foundation (SBF) is leading one of Saudi Arabia’s most forward-thinking public space projects, a green spine across Riyadh that connects neighbourhoods and invites residents to adopt more active, outdoor lifestyles.

The aim was to install a unique activation along the boulevard that would:

> Promote sustainability in a memorable and engaging way

> Encourage public participation through interaction with the built environment

> Demonstrate how renewable technologies can be integrated into city life

> Support the values of Vision 2030, which include improved health, quality of life, and environmental stewardship

The target audience? Local Riyadh residents, families, walkers, athletes, and cyclists, whose daily movement through the city could be transformed into a moment of learning, wonder, and connection.

Five Kinetic Walkways That Turn Steps into Impact

To help bring this vision to life, Pavegen installed five bespoke energy-generating walkways positioned at key locations along an elevated pedestrian path within the Sports Boulevard.

Physical Installation

Each walkway features Pavegen’s patented kinetic tiles, which convert footsteps into off-grid electricity.
As users walk across the tiles, their motion is translated instantly into visual energy feedback via LED lighting integrated into the handrails.
The glowing LED effect creates a visceral, real-time response — users can see the power they generate with each step, deepening the emotional connection to sustainability.
Designed to perform in Riyadh’s extreme temperatures and urban conditions, the systems are rugged, weatherproof, and built for longevity.

Digital Output

The installation is intentionally screen-free, encouraging users to focus on physical movement and direct interaction.
The energy feedback loop is fully on-site and analogue, reinforcing the concept of visible sustainability without requiring digital devices or data layers.

A Model for Future-Focused Cities

The Pavegen walkways have become a talking point for locals and visitors alike — a small but powerful reminder that urban sustainability can be both functional and fun.

Key Highlights:

Community Engagement: Locals of all ages now actively engage with the boulevard in new ways, discovering that even small actions — like walking — have a positive energy impact.
Tangible Sustainability: Unlike conventional clean-tech infrastructure, Pavegen puts sustainability underfoot and in plain sight.
Public Realm Innovation: The installation adds a dynamic, responsive layer to the Sports Boulevard, showcasing how technology and urban design can intersect to inspire behavior change.

This project demonstrates how smart energy solutions can be woven into the fabric of everyday public life - no apps, no data tracking, just a simple, human-centered interaction that celebrates motion, connection, and sustainability.

As the Sports Boulevard continues to grow, Pavegen is proud to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s vision for greener, healthier, and more connected cities.