From high-level to eye-level: a vision and guidelines
The Saudi Arabia National Urban Design Guidelines embody a comprehensive approach to urban transformation; not just guidelines showing ‘what to do’ but a process for ‘how to’ drive an urban transformation. Through engagement workshops with interested parties a collective vision was created, aligning with Vision 2030’s objective to create a vibrant society. At the heart of these guidelines is a concentrated focus on the neighborhood and street levels. Each chapter lays out guiding principles, strategies, and actionable steps, ensuring a positive impact from high-level to eye-level
Collaboration with the local design team took the form of design sprints, fostering co-creation of recommendations. This not only strengthened local expertise but also facilitated knowledge exchange between local and international perspectives. The conclusive chapter concentrates on implementation, presenting an iterative design process for projects, programs, and engagement, providing a roadmap for a successful people-first transformation.
Gehl extended its support to MoMRAH by disseminating the guidelines, conducting training sessions with 17 Amanas (municipalities) across the Kingdom, applying the guidelines to assess their upcoming projects. As a strategic step, the guidelines were brought to life in a pilot project in Jeddah, exemplifying a tangible application of the envisioned urban transformation.
