Urban Development in Riyadh: Aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 for Enhanced Quality of Life

Abstract

Saudi Urban Development is on the cards, It has been aligned with Vision 2030, since 2016, it refers to the United Nations agenda crafted to meet the needs not only for the present population, rather it guarantees optimum utilisation of resources and preserving them for future generations. The urban development in Saudi Arabia started with a comprehensive idea for tracking its progress on sustainable urban development. The sustainable urban development should be aligned with the Saudi vision 2030, so that the aim and objectives of the vision 2030 can be achieved and better quality of life in the cities can be provided to the residents. To understand this, there is a dire need to investigate the role of built environment on urban quality of life. Previous researches in this area were scarce, Therefore, there is a need to research the above-mentioned constructs in the context of Saudi vision 2030. The research design is cross sectional and collects the data from the population resides in the city of Riyadh (KSA). Responses (n=705) were collected in order to test the model with built environment as independent and urban quality of life as dependent construct. Being an empirical study, the analysis of measurement and structural model was undertaken. On the basis of the findings, implications for improving Quality of life through urban planning for better built environments were also presented. The research makes a contribution by suggesting methods for reducing noise, creating aesthetically beautiful structures and public areas according to the requirements and preferences of the locals, and lowering socio-spatial disparities while supporting housing and mobility for disadvantaged groups.