Introduction
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing rapidly growing urbanisation due to the country's demographic, social and economic growth that, increased the number of cities to reach 285 in the year 2030. The Future Saudi Cities Programme was a joint programme developed by the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MoMRA) and UN-Habitat, implemented in close cooperation with the municipalities of 17 major Saudi cities. The cities were selected based on their different population sizes, geographic distribution, and a range of criteria based on capacities and economic potential to create a more balanced regional development among the cities of Saudi Arabia. The chosen cities included Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Madinah, Tabuk, Dammam, Qatif, Al-Ahsa, Abha, Najran, Jazan, Hael, Arar, Al Baha, Buraidah, and Skaka. The main objectives of the programme were:
• Provide a better urban environment in seventeen Saudi cities in accordance with the standards of city prosperity and well-being.
• Reduce the phenomenon of urban sprawl and spread and address urbanisation.
• Finding institutional sustainable solutions and coordination between the ministries and partners for development in the urban sector.
• Raising the institutional and technical capacity level in planning urbanisation processes and their management.
• Involvement of all segments of the population, considering their needs, especially those of women and youth, in developing urban plans and their implementation.
Context and background
After undertaking city-level reviews in the 17 cities, five cities were chosen as a representative cross-section for in-depth analysis. The city-level reviews considered the linkages between urban and territorial planning by examining the city within the relational context of its sub-region and exploring specific issues at the neighbourhood level. When referenced with City Prosperity Index reports and validation processes in the Rapid Planning Studio workshops, these reviews were used to extrapolate solid and evidence-based conclusions related to the planning system. Applied research, with a strong focus on action-oriented findings, was used to collect evidence to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of the planning system and local planning practices in each city.