Relevance of the local people's socio-cultural values in the landscape development of recreational sea fronts of Saudi Arabia :the case of Dammam

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia two massive and costly coastal land reclamations and developments were undertaken in the 1980s to define the borders of the expansion of two main coastal cities towards the sea. The first was started in the city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, and the second was started in the Dammam metropolitan area on the Arabian Gulf, to the west and the east of Saudi Arabia respectively. Two coastal roads were constructed on the shoreline of these two cities. ... Taking the case of the recreational sea front of the city of Dammam, and set against the background of the nature and history of recreational activity in Saudi Arabia, this study investigates the part played by the socio-cultural background of the local users of the sea front, and its effect on their picnicking behaviour there, in order to assist in providing appropriate information for landscape architects and other decision makers involved in the planning and design of outdoor leisure facilities in Saudi Arabia. ... The development of suitable recreational sea fronts, then, depends not only on the technical expertise of landscape architects, but also on a proper understanding of the role played by socio-cultural factors in the requirements of the users. Steps should be taken, both in the training of landscape architects and in the monitoring of plans for leisure areas, which will enable them to develop facilities which will be appropriate to the needs, aspirations, and values of their primary users, the local people. The potential for further study in this area exists. A quantitative approach could help establish more exact data about the preferences of local users of recreational facilities, and thus more precise criteria for their design. This would also help in site management. And the possibility exists for research into the impact of sea front developments on natural resources and ecology