Lessons from the Middle East?

For a nation sitting on 1/5 of the world’s total petroleum oil reserves or 260 BILLION barrels of oil, this pedestrian focused urban development project may come as a surprise.  (www.doe.gov, 2010 numbers).  

The King Abdullah Financial District is a massive 34 tower, $7.8 bil(US) development in the financial hub of the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh.  At the heart of the development is a high speed monorail system designed and built by Bombardier costing an estimated $241 mil(US).  Based on the preview video below it looks like developers have intended for residents to leave their cars in an underground garage and rely on their own two feet (or the monorail) to navigate the neighborhood.