Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

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Tabuk have been transformed into bustling military bases. The Holy cities of Makkah and Madinah
received tremendous sums of capital from the state due to their religious status.
I consider the year 1968 a watershed in Huraimla's urban history. Huraimla's Municipality, which was
inaugurated in 1386H/1965, started subdividing the land north of the walled, compact town ostensibly
following the grid iron system and lots were larger by traditional standards.
11
Al-Tua'is, 181.
12 Al-Tua'is, 183, (author translation).
13 Saudi citizens living in villages and towns were affected by urban strides which they confronted during
their visits to major cities such as Riyadh, where the economically better off population had adopted
architectural elements in the design of housing units and other buildings. The interaction between the
country's population and the government's intensive pro-modernization propaganda through the
government-controlled press, and government-owned television and radio broadcast systems have
expedited the wholesale adoption of the mostly Western architecture (see for example Faddan, 1983).
1 4 Ibid, 225.
15 Clause Four of the Council of Ministers' Decision No. 977 dated 3/7/1388H (1968) stipulated that,
once they were compensated, property owners are responsible for the clearing of the remaining
demolished buildings or building walls or to hide the remaining parts.
16 Yousef M.O. Fadan, The Development of Contemporary Housing in Saudi Arabia [1950-1983]: A
Study in Cross-Cultural Influence Under Conditions of Rapid Change. Unpublished Ph.D.
Dissertation (Cambridge: MIT, 1983), 182.
1 Ibid, 186.
1® By comparison, during the same period (1965-1976), Riyadh's Municipality allocated SR2.9 billion
($828.6 million). Arar's municipality, an agency with a staff of 85, spent SR 85.1 million. Ministry
of Interior, Deputy For Municipalities, Annashrah Annisflyah Lee lhsa 'at Al Baladyyat: AnnisfAl
Awaal, 1392H (1976) [Semi-Annual List For Municipal Statistics, First Half (Riyadh: Ministry of
Interior), 176.
l^ In its official publications and media, the government has been emphatic about the its commitment to
"...balanced regional development" and "the provision of basic services to all citizens in the Kingdom."
See for example, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Planning, Summary of the Fifth
Development Plan, 1410-1415 (1990-1995) (Riyadh: Ministry of Planning Press), 85. The Plan
earmarks SR38.9 billion for the total planned public expenditures for municipal programs throughout
the nation for the five-year period.
20 MOMRA, Circular No. 563/3 dated 26/2/1387H (1967) (letter waw), gives municipalities development
rights over undeveloped land surrounding towns and cities. Royal Decree No. 11003 dated 8/5/1386 H
(1966) authorizes municipalities to subdivide speedily and sell lots to citizens according to defined
nominal prices. The Decree also permits municipalities to allot lots of 400 to "limited-income"
citizens free of charge.