Cities of the Future

Thoughtful planning and support are essential to rebuild and recover cities from the economic and social crisis that are impacted by the Covid-19. The main aim of this study is to understand the impacts of the pandemic on cities and to highlight innovative policies and strategies on the practice of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) among food handlers before and after pandemic. Despite having no evidence showing that infected people could spread the virus through the food they prepared, there is a theoretical risk that sneezing on food and direct touch on the food could transmit the virus. This current perspective outlines level of awareness on KAP among food handlers especially with the increasing trend of food business during Covid-19. For this study, questionnaire surveys were distributed to gain feedback on the food handling regulation’s awareness among food handlers in Malaysia. Based on the results, it can be reassured that knowledge of food handlers does make a difference during food handling regulations. However, the results showed that the attitude and practice of food handlers during Covid-19 doesn’t necessary reflect their attitude and practice before the pandemic. This study is to contribute to the enrichment of knowledge on the adoption of KAP model among them, thus increase the level of awareness on the food hygiene before and during food handling and regulation especially increasing trend of food business during Covid-19. It is vital to ensure that the regulations are effective in addressing the desired public health conservation; thus, will provide higher returns to the government to take transformative action towards creating cities that are most just, resilient and sustainable.

One of the vision 2030 aims is to develop Saudi historical and heritage sites to attract more tourism. Rijal Alma heritage village in Asir is on top of the list of heritage sites that are recommended to be a UNESCO World Heritage site. Rijal Alma, like other heritage sites in Saudi Arabia is not well-known due to the lack of enough media coverage. This research aims to highlight the importance of Rijal Alma as an important touristic destination in Saudi Arabia. In contrast to what is familiarly known, Saudi Arabia has a wide array of climatic conditions that can accommodate different kinds of local vernacular architecture. Rijal Alma as a historical representation of one of these architectural heritage can become an important touristic attraction that has the potential to provide different job opportunities and help in the local community development. This research will deploy qualitative data collection tools through analysis and semi-structured interviews. The research would end by deducing guidelines for fostering the local and international tourism in the area while keeping the community benefit and integration in focus. Finally, this research will contribute to the 2030 vision of the Kingdom by focusing on the value of historical sites in Saudi Arabia to align with the goals of the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, currently working on the revitalization of the historical structures all over Saudi Arabia.

Technologies become more relevant nowadays in order to deliver different results and more meaningful to its residents. A smart city is an urban area that can use multi sorts of sensors and electronic means to collect its data for delivering the results needed to develop the quality of the life. When the city becomes smarter, it will be more responsive and more livable for its residents which effect on the quality of the urban design in many dimensions: as health, environmental quality, conveniency of the time, safety, the living’s cost, and civic participation. Although that there is many information about the technology and its capacities, but there is a lack of information in terms of how to start, design and secure the smart city, therefore the Smart cities will be in risk if there is limited understanding in the implementation phase, and it will become vulnerable systems in the future. The research aims to study smart cities prospects and how technology is resolving confronts for better anticipate the future to make cites inclusive, secure, resilient and sustainable. To achieve these goals, the research will depend on the analytical application methodology, and it will focus on the characteristics of smart cities, and the ways to find relationship between people who are familiarity with the technology to improve the different life aspects. The findings contribute to develop the quality of the life and to acquaintance and practice by assisting smart solutions, underlying its role in sustainability development for the smart cities.

This study will propose a strategic development plan for NEOM area emerged from the project launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman—Crown Prince and Minister of Defense—and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NEOM, The Line project, which is a smart stripe city project that begins From the site of the King Salman Bridge in the Gulf of Aqaba in the west and extends to the east for a distance of 170 km, this proposal comes to complete the success of the project in an integrated urban form in the short and long term, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. This study aims to develop a strategic plan for the comprehensive spatial development of the entire NEOM area as a city for the future, in which the nucleus is The Line project for a balanced development spread over the entire region, considering the planning and environmental considerations and its potential for growth and development according to the stages and priorities of development in the area. The comprehensive strategic plan for the NEOM area includes three stages, the first of which is the development of the future vision for the NEOM area, followed by the development of the various sectoral strategies for the project, such as strategies for the environment, smart transportation, utilities, and other sectoral strategies related to the project, in which smart technical applications with artificial intelligence will be used in the project. Then the third important stage, which is the preparation of the structural plan for the entire NEOM area, is the missing study that will be clarified in this proposal. The study has adopted the case study method by reviewing the Neom area project to develop a comprehensive strategic proposal for a future city acquiring the kingdom Vision 2030.

Due to the rapid urbanization, many cities around the globe experienced rapid growth, consequently, a lot of neglected open space and vacant land emerge in those cities’ structures. These Nos represent vital assets that can contribute to enhancing the city’s identity, and function. To develop these neglected open spaces, several dimensions should be addressed such as social, functional, visual, and temporal dimensions. In this paper, the author will focus on the social dimension of urban design as a tool to develop NOS. In this sense, this paper will start by giving an introduction about neglected open spaces, their characteristics, and types followed that presenting some theories and approaches to develop these spaces socially and concluding with a social framework to develop these spaces.

Traditional Souqs are commonly located in the historical city centers. Albalad is one of the most famous ones in old Jeddah. However, through the last decades, it has encountered a lot of transformations due to the change of the community needs and moving more towards modernity. The presence of contemporary malls and changes in lifestyle led people to withdraw from traditional markets, which has caused a lot of deterioration in these old Souqs and left them to be subject to many informal and unplanned interventions destroying the historical essence of the place. Accordingly, this research aims to regenerate the old markets while satisfying the current needs of the community. This research will use the ethnographic strategy using triangulated methods of observations, and questionnaires. Also, some similar case studies will be analyzed to provide visionary guidelines for revitalizing Souqs in historic areas. The expected outcome will be in the form of guidelines that will be used to revitalize Souqs in historical sites with a focus on Al-Balad.

This research examines the design attributes with potential impact on social interactions in neighborhood parks. This includes accessibility, plants, maintenance, shading devices, lighting, walking paths, active and passive activities, seating, as well as water elements. It develops a theoretical framework of the neighborhood park design that promotes social interaction for assessing neighborhood park design and the level of social interaction in this park within the context of Jeddah city, KSA. It adopts the case study approach to investigate one study site in Jeddah city. It uses an array of qualitative strategies for data collection to test the validity of the theoretical framework in actual context including self-directed/closed-ended questionnaires, direct observation, and physical documentation. In addition to this, a non-participative, structured observation method will be used to record basic data about the level of social interaction in the selected case study. The main findings of this research contribute to generating design guidelines for neighborhood parks within the urban context of Jeddah City in Saudi Arabia to promote social interaction.

Urban public spaces play an important role in the social life, culture, and traditions of old Jeddah. Urban public spaces are defined by their urban form and design which express the unique identity of historic cities. They contribute to the development of social bonds, the integration of local communities and the overall public realm experience. The historical significance of urban public spaces is a prerequisite for the space ambiance. The aim of this study is to explore how the historic significance and space ambiance can influence the space identity and particularity. Three urban public spaces (Barahat) within the UNESCO nominated property in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were evaluated based on the existing condition. The goal was achieved by the use of a quantitative research method based on questionnaires and fieldwork. The result of the evaluation will be used to assist in the enhancement of the public realm within the historic context. The analysis framework has been proposed based on the historic significance and ambiance of the spaces.

Livability is an ambiguous term that has been used recently by different scholars in varied contexts despite its frequent appearance in the research and professional fields. In response, this article provides an in-depth understanding of this complex concept developed through a literature analysis. Moreover, this paper seeks to answer the question of what factors affect livability, which is derived from the fundamental livability spheres. This research suggests a framework that will theoretically investigate the concept of livability and different livability ranking tools to highlight livability factors in three dimensions: social, economic, and environmental. These factors will aid and assist urban designers and decision-makers to incorporate the livability factors in the current and future projects.

Urban regeneration aims, among other objectives, to revive the city’s declined and sluggishly animated public spaces. Nevertheless, most of these projects target the city’s principal public spaces, such as central parks, squares, downtown, and waterfronts. Whether selectively, consecutively, or collectively carried out, the magnitude of these projects usually drains the city’s budget as they consume extended times, resulting in a few numbers being implemented in those primary spaces and fewer directed to the city’s secondary spaces. This paper focuses on developing a strategic multi-tiered framework to revive underutilized public spaces considering the time and cost layers. Such a framework builds on the employment of “local events” as a viably flexible and low-cost “Temporary Urbanism” tactic to revive poorly utilized city spaces of different grades. The research employs a qualitative and a desktop analysis approach to develop a framework to assist the city’s stakeholders in taking necessary and efficient actions to activate the city’s spaces as a parallel tool for traditionally used urban regeneration approaches.

The rapid urbanization, high traffic density, and lack of open spaces are noticeable challenges that impose several repercussions on children within the urban context and restrict them from living a normal childhood. Independent mobility is reduced according to the spatial deprivation of children from pedestrian experiences through urban environments. Consequently, children’s opportunities for active engagement and participation in social life will be diminished. Residing in safe environments is a fundamental right that should be granted to all children around the world. Recently, child-friendly urban design has gained a lot of attention due to its remarkable advantages as it brings children’s needs and desires into practice. Creating safe child-friendly open spaces contributes to protecting children from traffic injuries and crimes while at the same time stimulating their imagination and nurturing communication skills. This paper addresses the topic of safe child-friendly open spaces in residential neighborhoods which can significantly improve the life, health, and growth of children with a focus on social and traffic aspects within the urban context. Identifying the design principles of safe child-friendly open spaces is the main aim that will be tackled. To achieve this goal; the research will follow a theoretical approach by applying a qualitative research methodology through historical interpretation and understanding of the main characteristics and design principles of child-friendly open spaces. This would be followed by an evaluative analysis of a related case-study. The expected results of this research are planned to introduce an adapted design model for safe child-friendly open spaces in residential neighborhoods for the local context of Saudi cities with more focus on both social and traffic safety aspects.

Literature has always been a mirror to society. Since ancient times, literature has performed two functions. To some, it is art for the sake of art, while to others; it is a reflection of modern society. These two ideas are always at the foundation of great literature. The planet (Earth) has suffered much as a result of global ecological catastrophe, mostly as a result of human atrocities against nature. As a result, literature cannot turn its back on this. A new field of study for literature emerged at the close of the previous century. The present article seeks to explore the Ecocritical issues as represented by a great environmentalist and a poet of Kashmir-Shaikh-ul-Alam. His poetry, written in Kashmiri and translated into other languages, is the apex of literary and environmental excellence. Sheikh ul-Alam has created a large body of poetry that covers a wide range of topics, from cultural to ecological sustainability. The purpose of this study is to see how literature has helped and will always inspire people become more aware of hazards like deforestation and its repercussions. We witness a gradual change in our attitude toward nature, while reading his poetry. In his poems, the interconnectedness of human nature is at the heart of Ecocriticism, is emphasized.

Housing is not merely the construction of housing units, but also the creation of an adequately planned living environment. In this environment, green building, economic viability, and social well-being come together under the umbrella of sustainable housing. This study aims to offer an overview of housing sustainability considering these three main pillars in the Saudi housing sector. This study conducted a literature review and identified 30 aspects that are used to address the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of housing. To prioritize these aspects, the study approached a group of experts in the field with a structured online questionnaire. The study concluded some aspects that are needed in Saudi Arabia to enhance housing sustainability according to these three main domains, including resource efficiency, housing affordability, and respect for local cultural values and identity. The study also concluded that, although several major achievements could be seen in the environmental and economic aspects of sustainable housing, many development opportunities remain in the social sustainability domain.

This study is to debate urban forms embraces urban heat island adaptation and mitigation actions. It also aims to investigate the effect of urban design impacts, to develop strategies for reducing urban heat island influences with a good preparation for climate change adaptation, and to contribute in improving quality of urban life. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, the scientific methodology was used due to its suitability to the nature of the research, which depends mainly on three stages; record facts from the field build a preliminary theory from the literature review, and experimental situations. Several approaches have been used: data collection, literature review, preparation through data bases, probability analysis using SPSS program, and Space Syntax analysis. The study investigates two districts in Jeddah which are Al-Balad and Al-Basateen. The results show differences in temperature between the two districts at the same time schedule. The factors impacting this urban heat island’s result were attributed to different urban fabric between the two districts. The study recommends decreasing urban heat island by using robust structures, increasing the use of plants in design, and implementing an effective urban design. Design Strategy Properties of urban materials, particularly, solar, reflectance, thermal emissivity and heat capacity, also influence the development of urban heat island as they determine how the suns energy is reflected, emitted, and absorbed. The contribution of this study is the formulation of asset of strategies and principles that can help directing designers to transform these defunct downtowns into sustainable urban cores for people to live, work, play and visit.

The neighborhood has become the focus of attraction of urban planners, designers and architects. Over the last two decades, the field of study of the neighborhood and its relationship with health has witnessed an explosion of interest. Several researchers investigated neighborhood problems and its impacts on well-being. Different urban problems vary in mental and physical health impacts. A lot of longitudinal and cross-sectional research linked the characteristic of neighborhood whether physical or social to the health condition of the community. Furthermore, heart disease, skin disorder, cancer diabetes, depression and drug use are some of the health problems that an individual might face while living in an insufficient neighborhood particularly in harsh climate conditions. In desert climate, thermal low performance can lead to urban problems such as the well-known phenomenon “Urban Heat Island (UHI)”. The later can lead to several illness syndromes for residents. Reviewing the literature revealed a gap in the knowledge on the detailed relationship between the urban design elements and the sick health syndrome. This paper discusses the negative impact of the neighborhood design elements and its interconnection with illness syndromes. Similar to the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), the paper introduces a new term to define the relationship between the urban design elements and the sick health syndromes which is “Sick Neighborhood Syndrome” (SNS).