When creativity is the solution: How to transform Makkah into a creative city

Abstract

This paper aims to explore ways in which the theoretical concept of the creative city can be usefully and practically employed in the development of the urban services and global identity of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The researcher will introduce the previous studies on creative cities and draw the most prominent active theories to find out the best model to suit Makkah as a pilgrimage city, despite it being located in the Middle East where no research on creative cities has been conducted. The aim is to design a model for Makkah inspired by the experiences of successful creative cities, which will be a key solution to the problems that the city faces - problems largely caused by the growing number of pilgrims every year from all around the world. The study will be summarised into four sections as listed below, based on the following questions: What are the key fundamentals that can be distinguished to decide whether a city is successfully presented as a creative city? What are the strategies used and how are they implemented in case studies of creative cities around the world? © 2013 WIT Press.