IN-PERSON Barcelona Livable Cities. Section A
Abstract
The City of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, has remarkably grown over the past few decades from a relatively small town into a thriving metropolis. The city’s rapid growth was primarily fueled by the oil boom and the concerted effort to transform the city into a modern global city. However, this rapid growth did not come without a cost, the city has massively sprawled which has led to several challenges that include traffic congestion, air pollution, and safety concerns. To address this, the city has embarked on a significant Ansana (humanization) program to reprioritize street design around pedestrians and public transit riders. The city also is updating its street design manuals from vehicle-oriented to multimodal where walkability is encouraged. Nonetheless, the success of the Street Ansana Program in enhancing walkability is faced with skepticism. Two arguments are presented, the first is the strong cultural preferences for private cars while the second is about the effect of the harsh environmental reality of the city where weather temperature can mount to 47C◦. However, to examine this, the study has looked into three recently redeveloped streets. The study found that despite the two arguments against walkability in Riyadh may have some truth in them, it is evident that people still come to enjoy walking. The study argues that the key factor to consider is the provision and quality of urban spaces and streets that encourage people to walk and the design of streets should support the needs of the different users. The study also stresses that well-designed streets are not only good for mobility and the reduction of traffic congestion but also important for creating a vibrant social life and enhancing the quality of life.
Dr Mohamed Fageir is an Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Khartoum, Sudan. He also trained and worked as an architect in both the UK and Sudan. Dr Fageir is passionate about architecture and city-building, and he is keen on demonstrating how good quality designs can change peoples’ lives. Dr Fageir now works at Riyadh Municipality as an expert in planning and urban design. His research interests include urban regeneration, sustainable urbanism, and architectural humanities.
Dr Faisal Al-Osaimy is the Assistant Deputy for the Infrastructure Projects Agency at Riyadh Municipality. His role involves the design and execution of large infrastructural projects in the city of Riyadh. Dr Al-Osaimy was educated in KSA, the USA and the UK. He is also an architect by profession and an academic who teaches at King Saud University. Dr Al-Osaimy’s research interest includes architectural history and theory and urban design.
Dr Ahmed Elsayed is an associate professor of urban planning at the Faculty of Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Egypt. Dr Elsayed has vast experience as an urban planning consultant in Cairo, Mekkah and Riyadh where he worked on several large-scale developmental planning projects. Dr Elsayed is currently working as a planning expert at Riyadh Municipality. His research interest includes urban revitalization, city branding and urban heritage landscape.
Dr Sultan Al-Fraidi is an Assistant Professor of architecture at the University of Hail, KSA. Dr Al-Fraidi is also a practising architect with a special interest in sustainability and architectural theory. Dr Al-Fraidi has completed numerous building projects that have been well-acknowledged for their innovation and design quality. Currently, Dr Al-Fraidi is a consultant at the Riyadh Municipality – Projects Agency where he supervises the design and execution of several large cultural and urban projects.
Dr Rami is currently an assistant professor and head of the Housing Studies department at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Khartoum in Sudan. He has over 14 years of experience in teaching and research in architecture and sustainable building technologies. Dr Rami obtained his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Nottingham in the UK.
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Wednesday 16th July, 2025