Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

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into a nuclei of the Matar suburb, six kilometers north of the old city. In 1950 King Abdul-
Aziz ordered the wall system to be demolished to allow for the expansion of the new
neighborhoods. Alas, no attempt was made to save some of its parts, gates or the land
which it once stood.
Construction of the rail road station and the airfield added to the political centrality of
Riyadh in the nation's modern urban system. The locational vitality of the city was to be
further enhanced during the 1950s and 1960s by the national road system which was
knitted in a way confirming the city's pivotal location in the heart of the Kingdom. This
was evident in the increase in government appropriations for roads, which jumped from
SR66.2 million in 1961 to SR474.1 million in 1967.15
Despite its' notable increase in size, Riyadh expanded in accordance with local
cultural building principles, in a compact form adhering closely to religion and traditional
social norms. This compatibility can be attributed to several reasons: i) the poor economy;
ii) the relatively homogeneous population composition, mainly comprising locals; iii) the
adherence to traditional, bland architecture and rudimentary building materials; and iv) the
fact that social values were still governed by stern Islamic principles, with great emphasis
on privacy and community cohesiveness shown in the introverted dwellings built around
the courtyard, the design of fenestrations with respect to neighbors' privacy and right of
passage, and solid facades with high windows showing a blind face to the meandering
streets. The circulation space took a secondary significance to the residential space, though
increasingly it accommodated the automobile. The 1950s were yet to usher in an
unprecedented progressive construction flurry beginning with the Capitol. The rate of
economic growth of the city surpassed that of the country's economic growth as a whole.
Between 1950 and 1968, Riyadh enjoyed steady economic growth reaching about 126
percent in comparison to that of 1950 (Doxiadis, 1968). The old seven neighborhoods of
the walled town became 22 neighborhoods (hilal) by 1966 and were serviced with
municipal amenities, and by 1990 this number jumped to 141 neighborhoods (or submunicipalities).
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E. Urban Planning: Municipal Legislation, and Early Urban Growth
Controls, c. 1950s
By definition, organic growth means that a town developed from, or was based on