Sustainable socio-cultural guidelines for neighborhood design in Jeddah

Abstract

The population growth and the urban neighborhood development in the cities around the world are inevitable. Today, many neighborhoods around the world are suffering from several problems. These problems affected the culture, social interaction, economic aspects as well as environmental impacts. Accordingly, urban development should address social and cultural aspects of each particular community within the environmental and economical context. The current research aims at developing a set of design guidelines that promotes the concept of socially sustainable neighborhoods in Saudi Arabia. Nowadays, several rating systems and urban design codes around the world set guidelines for urban design development and particularly in neighborhood design. LEED (Leadership of Environment and Energy design) for neighborhood design, and QSAS (Qatar Sustainability Assessment System); are examples of these rating system. The research problem is; these rating systems cannot be applied in the context of Saudi Arabia without considering its local social and cultural aspects. The research resulted as a reaction to the abbreviation of socio- cultural aspects in neighborhood design approaches. The research is depending on an analytical review of different neighborhood design approaches and case studies. Also, subjective data is being collected from experts and professionals about their points of view and their recommendations regarding neighborhood design for Jeddah city. The result of the research is a set of design v guidelines that consists of design principles adjusted to fit the context of Saudi Arabia (Jeddah City). The formulated guidelines are adapted and tested in an evaluation application of two residential neighborhoods in Jeddah city. This application validated the proposed design guidelines. Considering the proposed design guidelines; in the design process of Jeddah's neighborhoods, will promote a leading approach to the concept of socially sustainable neighborhoods in the kingdom.