In 1998 George Stockton, President of Moriyama & Teshima Planners Limited, participated in a three-week work session on the future of Riyadh. The objectives were to explore a 50-year vision and 25-year plan for Saudi Arabia's capital city, expected to triple in population to 10 million.

Moriyama & Teshima's extensive research during the development of the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, completed in 1999, and the insights gained on the team's many visits to Riyadh provided expertise in three areas:

Environmental Sustainability:
Any development must not compromise the needs of future generations and must consider the carrying capacity of its environment as a whole:
- the porous limestone formations on which the city is built
- the sub-surface and deep aquifer systems that hold and supply water
- the drainage basins of the Wadi Hanifah and Wadi Sulaiy
- the sparse life forms indigenous to the hot desert climate.

The Wadi System:
The complex natural system in the desert context of Riyadh provides both constraints to development as well as opportunities to improve life for present and future generations.

Future Development Opportunities:
Patterns of development are required that minimize energy consumption, maintain the productivity of the land, and encourage the intensification of existing communities. The size, density, and location of new communities in Riyadh must be appropriate in terms of innovative technological developments in energy, building, planning, servicing and transportation. Unique building types must be developed that fit the desert environment.