TAF PUBLISHING

The main aim is to explore how local identity is being expressed in contemporary urban development in Saudi Arabia. The paper addresses this aim by reviewing the case study design, which is the most appropriate research method that widely helps in assessing two case studies of urban development in two main cities in Saudi Arabia, namely the traditional city of Jeddah and the new masterplan of KAEC, to identify how flexible are the key Islamic socio-cultural determinants in terms of designing residential neighborhoods, housing design, and built environment generally to accommodate people from different socio-cultural backgrounds. The outcomes of this study would help stakeholders and other researchers to better understand the basic Islamic determinants in terms of urban development, which do not distinguish between people from different socio-cultural backgrounds when it comes to forming the built environment, as they are mainly focused on achieving public benefits such as maintaining neighbors' rights.