National Development Plans ReviewSaudi Arabia

3rd and 7th National Development Plans

For: Professor Habib AlshuwaikhatBy: Ahmad A. Alkadi

CP202 – Planning Laws and Legeslations

The 3rd Development Plan

• controlled urban growth in predetermined areas.

• To achieve successful urban development, industrial and commercial growth in locations which have capacity to be productive.

• Migration to the cities which created and expanding demand for buildings and an increase in construction activity

3rd Plan Policies

• Operate and maintain existing and planned municipal systems effectively so that citizens receive services in a timely and economically manner.

• Continue the decentralization program by establishing more municipal administrative municipal administrative units.

3rd Plan Policies

• Enforcing building code and regulations when promulgated for private buildings in cities, towns and villages.

• Assure that cities which have problems due to their topography or other reasons will get the proper storm drainage systems to protect lives and property.

4th Plan Policies

• Institute systematic building inspection.• Accelerate the formation of village clusters.• Prepare and regularly update comprehensive

plans.• Encourage developments that will utilize

existing infrastructure.

Problems:

• Difficulties in recruiting and training the necessary people, especially outside the major urban areas.

• Difficulties in controlling urban growth inside the serviced areas, which has caused a higher per unit cost of infrastructure investment.

• Centralization of government and lack of coordination between related governmental agencies.

Analysis of the 3rd Development Plan

• The policies of third plan are mainly concerned with decentralization of municipal services to achieve urban balance between different parts of the kingdom.

• The repetition of the decentralization policies in the fourth plan, in addition to the evaluation of the status quo, we find that there has been a failure in implementing these polices.

Analysis of the 3rd Development Plan

• No actions should be taken to slow the growth of the main regions.

• Decentrlization can be achieved by encouraging and finding variety of services in the rural and middle sized cities such as universities and specialized ho

• spitals.

Analysis of the 3rd Development Plan

• One major problem in achieving decentralization is suggested to be in focusing too much on the detail rather than on ensuring the delivery is driven forward in a systematic way .

Analysis of the 3rd Development Plan

• find the 3rd development plan has achieved its goal of enforcing building codes and regulations, which is reflected by the 4th development plan policy indicating institution of a systematic building inspection.

The 7th Development Plan

• Increase on the demand for municipal facilities and services municipal services.

• Cities’ Expansion created a wide gap between spatial expansion and the number of inhabitants.

7th Development Plan Policies

• Raising the efficiency of municipalities’ information systems and updating them regularly.

• Planning for urban development with the participation of municipalities and in coordination with relevant agencies.

• Reorganizing the structure of the Ministry and affiliate agencies in order to eliminate duplication of responsibilities in conformity with the provincial system.

7th Development Plan Policies

• Availing of all means to ensure regular and continuous revenue streams to enable the municipalities to develop their services and maintain their infrastructure.

• Continuing to develop and improve village clusters to ensure availability and accessibility of municipal services in rural areas.

8th Development Plan Policies

• Continued restructuring of the sector to enable provision of more efficient, advanced municipal services.

• Implementation of the National Spatial Strategy, with due emphasis on the development corridors and growth centers identified by it.

8th Development Plan Policies

• Development of municipal revenues to enable municipalities to develop their services and maintain their facilities.

• Enhancing the role of municipal councils in all regions.

Problems

• Lack of enough funds to support the municipal projects to meet up with the spending urban growth.

• Internal migration leads to expand the number of rural areas which requires expanding the scope of municipal services in existing municipalities and village clusters.

Problems

• There are lack of databases and information banks on urban functions and services and regional computerized information systems.

• There is lack coordination among all relevant governmental and non-governmental agencies, at all stages from planning to implementation and monitoring.

Analysis of the 7th Development Plan

• the restructuring of the municipal and rural affairs department, which is represented by the repetition of the same policy in the 8th plan.

• lack of coordination between different planning related agencies.

Analysis of the 7th Development Plan

National Spatial Strategy

• Solving the centralization issue.• It is a long term policy statement .• To broad guidelines for spatial development under various

policy directions • To provide a spatial level of policies relevant to various

sectors of development and different parts of national space.

• To ensures the integration of human settlements planning into general socio-economic development planning.