Planning for the unplanned : a case study of slum settlements in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Slums or unplanned settlements have a long history in the world and in the Middle East. Unplanned settlements are regarded as one of the main problems facing cities. They may seem only an urban issue but in fact, they result for several reasons such as economic, political and social. Unplanned settlements happen for several reasons such as population growth and migration from rural areas to the cities. General characteristics of unplanned settlements worldwide and in the Middle East in particular, are a lack of basic services such as infrastructure, schools, hospitals and safe areas. There are many strategies to address unplanned settlements such as clearance, up-grading and conservation. However, concerted efforts by public sector, private sector and informal sector are important to fix these problems of unplanned settlements.