Landscape and culture : Jeddah's seafront design

Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. It is located at the eastern edge of the Red Sea. The city expanded to the north and the south during its 'boom period' in 1970s, constrained in the east by the airport area, and in the west by the Red Sea. By the middle of 1970s, Jeddah's growth was mainly directed to the north because of the availability of large low-density residential land in the north. The new airport also stimulated its growth. At the same time, new residential subdivisions developed rapidly between the old city and the new airport along the main highway to the north and along the coast in the west. The growth towards the north continued into the 1980s and even extended beyond the new airport zone, as vacant land in the middle of the old city and the new airport had been filled.<br><br>This rapid growth, in turn, required a rapid development in infrastructure, city services and recreation areas. The master plan of the city in 1973s took into consideration the coast line and the recreation areas of the city considering these areas from the point of view of land use, but without consideration of the country's culture. These recreation places -- and especially the seafront area - therefore lacked activities for some visitor groups, and the design in general ignored their needs, which required special attention and methods if they were to be met.<br><br>This project intends to discover the methods and the techniques that can be used to guide the new development of the city's southern coast, and in particular, revitalizing the seaside with a view to implementing the city dwellers' desire for a seafront that respects their culture and needs. The goal of this project is to create a design that transforms the traditional thinking for open space design in Saudi Arabia taking into consideration the dwellers cultures and desires.