Planning of Urban Quarters, Districts and Neighbourhoods in Islam’s Holiest City: A Comparative Analytical Study

Global experiences of planning urban areas are characterised by adopting hierarchical structures from large to small structures, i.e. residential quarter (large residential area), residential district and then residential neighbourhood. Each structure is characterised according to the area, the number of people and the services required for targeting a sustainable urban environment. This concept is a milestone in urban planning in Saudi Arabia. The research attempted to discuss the general trend of planning housing projects in Saudi Arabia and the extent of applying the hierarchal concept. Three models were chosen randomly in Makkah, showing such planning hierarchy. These are Al Shawqiyyah, Al Sharaie and Al Rabwah. These projects were planned four decades ago and became a reality. Through comparative analytical methods, findings revealed ambiguity of the hierarchal planning concept in these projects. Further, the traditional neighbourhood concept was prevalent in most neighbourhoods characterised by low-density development in planning but medium and high densities in reality. The problem is getting worse as cities grow horizontally and vertically. Consistent scientific analysis based on practice and continuous meta-analysis was used. The paper calls for the need to change the current premises of housing plans and reorganise the accumulated problems according to global experiences and local standards.