Enhanced Public Open Spaces Planning in Saudi Arabia to Meet National Transformation Program Goals

Abstract

Public open spaces offer social, health, environmental and economic benefits to cities and their residents. As planners seek to realize these benefits and respond to human demand, different approaches have emerged; ranging from the opportunistic use of land as it becomes available, to more systematic methods. In Saudi Arabia, the current approach is predominantly opportunistic and purely quantitative, which presents a challenge to the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MoMRA) as it seeks to meet the National Transformation Program goal of increasing public open space per capita from 3.4 m 2 to 3.9 m 2. This study set out to identify ways of improving the planning and design of public open spaces in Saudi Arabia, by reviewing 20 open spaces (five each in Taif, Hail, Tabuk, and Abha) and interviewing municipality officers. The findings of this review indicate that MoMRA and the municipalities in Saudi cities need to adopt a system of collaboration to support the implementation of public open spaces, by: 1) introducing qualitative design guidelines in order to reduce dependence on the square meter measure and encourage smart design and location of open spaces within the urban fabric; 2) creating incentives for further connectivity of public spaces at the city-wide level; and, 3) improving the functions of open spaces to match community needs through a more participative approach, including citizen engagement. Responding to these key challenges will require the capacity to be built in both MoMRA and the municipalities, to unblock the expertise that local planners and designers have in the urban transformation of Saudi cities and to ensure that decision-making processes are effective. These changes will benefit from a public open space typology, and a system and network to be implemented country-wide.