Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

240
per annum. If the airport, which lies within the City's land use, is to be added to the City's
developed area of 477 square kilometers, the government land use will increase to 68 per
cent of total area (Figure 6.19-1).
SUMMARY
Dramatic political developments since the turn of the century established Riyadh as
the political capital of the new nation-state. Under King Abdul-Aziz, the new nation-state
ushered in a new era of political stability and security which induced a modest urbanization
process to major urban centers. The discovery of oil in the late 1930s added strength to
King Abdul-Aziz's government, and the increasing world demand for oil following World
War II heralded prosperity. Riyadh, the seat of the nascent state, benefited substantially,
thanks to the increases in oil royalties which enabled King Abdul-Aziz to bring about
economic changes that attracted more residents to the city. With more oil income, King
Saud turned to the modernization of the city. During the 1950s, Riyadh' population
growth was unprecedented (from 39,000 in 1950 to 126,000 by 1960) when King Saud
decided to move the ministries to Riyadh. The construction of large-scale, physical
development of al-Al-Malaz ("New Riyadh") and the royal suburb, Annasiriyah, indicated
the departure from prevailing architecture and urban planning norms and heralded a new
period of direct role of the central state in urban development.
During the 1960s, King Faisal placed less emphasis on physical development,
especially in the capital, shifting focus to the modernization of the central bureaucracy,
improving national defense capabilities and other infrastructural reforms (e.g.
transportation) which aimed at boosting the country's economic development. The
improvements in national road system, which also benefited villages, towns and cities'
populations, placed Riyadh at the hub of the new road transportation network. In the filed
of physical planning, Faisal's reforms culminated in the shift from piecemeal land
subdivisions to comprehensive city master plans, starting with Riyadh. In order to harness
negative outcomes of rapid urban growth, the government relied on European planning
expertise to devise long-range plans to guide city's growth. The economic boom of the
1970s resulted in an unprecedented government urban development programs, coupled
with population growth, hindered the Doxiadis' projections obsolete. The distribution of
land to numerous owners and lack of a central planning agency with sufficient powers and