Jeddah set to unveil 20-year master plan

CITY PLANS: Proposals to shape the development of Jeddah over the next 20 years will be unveiled next week. (Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia will launch the Jeddah Strategic Plan next week, mapping out the city’s development over the next 20 years.

The governor of Makkah, Prince Khalid Al Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, will inaugurate the plan, which has been in development for the past three years on Monday.

It aims to reduce the number of slums in Jeddah, build more affordable housing and increase the density of the city – offering opportunities for developers, especially in real estate, reported Construction Week Online on Wednesday.

The news was announced at the Construction Week Saudi Arabia Conference by Dr Abdulgader Amir, vice president for strategic planning and management of land and property for the Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company.

“Real estate in Saudi Arabia is considered one of the biggest untapped resources in the region so far,” he said.

“There’s a strong demand from the Saudi population for residential development and there’s strong support from the government for these projects.”

Jeddah is the second biggest city in Saudi Arabia and the gateway to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

Urban sprawl is a major problem for the city, putting pressure on infrastructure, which in turn has led to pollution and other social issues, Amir said.

A shortage of property, especially affordable housing, has forced people to live in unplanned settlements, or slums. Currently there are 50 slums in the city, housing 1.2 million people.

“The strategic plan’s major objective is to provide affordable housing for low income and poor people,” Amir said.

He said the Jeddah Municipality aims to drastically reduce the number of slum dwellers through the implementation of the strategic plan.

Two of the plan’s major projects are a new city centre, which covers 12 million m2 on a vacant site next to Old Airport that will provide a “downtown and dense environment”.

And the Jeddah Town Centre, announced last year, which covers 6 million sq m and encompasses the historic Old City are and some waterfront.

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