Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

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V. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND STRUCTURE OF STUDY
Through investigation of Saudi Arabia's urbanization experience, in general, and
through individual cases of some representative urban areas, I will show the relation
between state intervention and the resulting urban forms. In addition to tackling the
problems of urbanization, I will also look at how centralized policy-making has enhanced
leadership legitimacy and control. My purpose is to analyze the government's direct and
indirect involvement as the major architect and planner of urban development. Ultimately, I
believe, such massive intervention has shaped both the structure and form of the various
settlements. By exploring the government's mechanisms of land and financial resource
allocation, a model of urban development can be deduced and generalization to other nondemocratic
political systems in the Middle Eastern oil-based economies can be outlined.
The methodology of the research is centered around the investigation and
manipulation of data from three Saudi Arabian settlements. The role of government in
creating and shaping both the urban structure and the urban forms of Saudi settlements will
be assessed by focusing on urban policy in these three towns in particular, as well on
other settlements in general. The three settlements are selected to provide a variety in terms
of their population size, urban economies, and origins--whether evolved from agrarian
settlements or industrial camps to modern communities.
The first and largest of these towns is Riyadh, the capital, which represents a large,
administrative city. With a population of approximately 1.5 million, it is the political heart
of Saudi Arabia and the home of the Royal authority. The second town to be studied is
Arar, representing a small city of 65,000 residents located in the northern region of the
country. Arar was originated anew from a small industrial camp in the early 1940s. The
third settlement is Huraimla, a small town with a population of 5,500, located fifty miles
north of Riyadh. Huraimla was originally a village with an agricultural economy. While
Arar is only forty years old, Riyadh and Huraimila have been on the map for centuries.
The rationale behind selecting these settlements is mainly that of the researcher's
familiarity, personal contacts and accessibility to information.
The first chapter of the dissertation contains a definition of the problem, the rationale,
and a discussion of the study's contribution toward understanding the Saudi urban
transformation. Such an urban experience is valuable in the sense that it provides an