Urban dwelling environments in rapidly growing cities : case study, Unayzah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The study is concerned with two critical issues: a) the housing situation of middle income groups; b) the use of land in new developments. A tentative planning model for urban land development and a survey of existing dwelling environment from Unayzah urban area are provided. The development of the model is based on three case studies from the existing dwelling environment, stressing land utilization, density, and circulation efficiency. A modified layout is designed at Al-Slimaneih to compare with the one being built. Essentially, the redesigned layout is concerned with reducing costs of urban development and public responsibility by optimizing the physical design elements of the settlement. The design aims toward an efficient layout by minimizing public areas, circulation areas and lengths, infrastructure, and by maximizing private and usable areas. The survey of the existing dwelling environment identifies, analyzes, and evaluates three distinct urban areas in Unayzah which are characterized by their location, origins, layouts and socioeconomic characteristics of their inhabitants. The study is intended to: *Provide a reference for understanding and evaluating the existing housing conditions and urban environment. *Develop guidelines for those involved in planning of residential development and as a reference in the formulation of housing policies.