Overall, the thesis is organised in 10 chapters, as follows:
Chapter One (Research Introduction): provides an introduction to the study illustrating the research justification, goals, objectives and questions. In addition, it outlines the research‟s significance, methodology and organisation as presented in this chapter.
Chapter Two (Literature Review): reviews relevant literature, which starts by developing a framework that provides research orientation. The chapter discusses ideas of creating good places through urban form, discussing the concepts of urban sprawl and compact city, planning apparatus that shape the urban form, the concept of density and the impact of zoning regulations. It then questions the relationship between urban governance and good cities, by reviewing the roles of the planning institution and showing the reason for shifting from government to good urban governance. In addition, it gives a brief overview of different models to evaluate urban governance. The chapter addresses various factors and issues influencing the capacity of the local spatial planning authority. It provides examples from developed and developing countries. It discusses the important of acceptance and satisfaction regarding urban form, neighbourhood, housing and how to measure the level of residential satisfaction with their dwellings and neighbourhoods.
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Chapter Three (Research Approach): explains the research methodology by offering a brief introduction to the research design and the rationale of selecting a mixed method strategy. It then reports in detail on the pilot study and the main fieldwork activities. The chapter clarifies justifications for conducting this research in Jeddah. In addition, it explains in detail the data collection methods used in this research and the analytical methods applied. The chapter also discusses the UN-HABITAT model for governance evaluation and how this approach will contribute to the research processes. It discusses the research ethics. Finally, it summarises the constraints and obstacles experienced in the fieldwork through carrying out this research.
Chapter Four (The Planning Framework in Saudi Arabia): clarifies the context of decision-making and the local culture. The chapter discusses in brief the economy of Saudi Arabia, which has played an important role in the country‟s development and spatial transformation. Then it explains the nature of the political, legislative and planning systems. The chapter describes the authority hierarchy in the planning system and includes a review of planning laws. It reflects on issues that affect the performance of decision-making. Finally, it illustrates changes in social structure, the importance of privacy, as well as the rapid increase in urbanisation levels and the heterogeneity of Saudi society. Chapter Five (From Walled Town to Vibrant City: The Impact of Plans and Zoning Regulations on Jeddah Metropolis): describes the nature of Jeddah‟s geographic location, economic status and importance. It then illustrates the massive metropolitan urban growth and urban determinants. There is a discussion of the impact of master plans and zoning regulations on the massive morphological transformation in the configuration of the urban form of Jeddah. Finally, it explores the rationale of the Municipality‟s decision to densify development in the latest master plan.
Chapter Six (Assessing Local Planning Authorities Performance in Jeddah): focuses on assessing the performance of the local spatial planning authority in Jeddah by using the UN- HABITAT Urban Governance Index (UGI) to show issues in the planning system at the local level. The chapter attempts to create a platform for illustrating deficiencies in the current planning system at the local
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level that need to be addressed in the future in order to achieve good urban governance. It then critiques deficiencies of the UN-HABITAT assessment model. Lastly, it assesses the performance of Jeddah Municipality through modifying the UGI model to fit the study.
Chapter Seven (Stakeholders’ Performance Assessment of Jeddah Municipality and the New Zoning Regulations): presents the analysis and findings of structured interviews with Municipality officers, professionals. It aims to explore issues related to the performance of the local planning authority from different perspectives, and in turn, its ability to deliver and implement potential zoning regulations. The chapter clarifies general factors influencing the local planning governance‟s ability to implement zoning regulations. It then presents stakeholders‟ perspectives of Jeddah Municipality‟s current performance. It explores the existence of discretion in the planning system as well as corruption. The chapter evaluates professionals‟ and residents‟ most recent experiences with the Jeddah Municipality. Finally, it discusses issues related to the impacts of zoning regulations from the architects‟ and professionals‟ perspective.
Chapter Eight (The Impact of Applying the New Zoning Regulations on Stakeholders in Jeddah): is a detailed exploration into the impacts of applying the new zoning regulations by considering real cases. The chapter aims to show that there are other subjective issues related to the performance of the local planning authority that cannot be measured using the UGI or quantitative methods. It reveals imperfections in the planning system at the local level, the conflict between the stakeholders (residents, developers, and local spatial planning authority), and reflects the level of resident and developer satisfaction. The chapter describes and analyses issues within each case and poses key questions related to the main line of the research. It also clarifies the factors affecting the implementation of new zoning regulations. In addition, it explores people‟s reaction regarding the implementation of the new regulations. The chapter explores the cases from the perspective of Saudi law. Finally, it suggests ways forward.
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Chapter Nine (Assessment of Residential Satisfaction with Regulations within Different Zones): presents the structured interviews‟ analysis and findings collected during the fieldwork from residents living in three different zones (i.e. villas, apartments with the new zoning regulations, and mixed-use). It measures the level of residential satisfaction with their dwellings and neighbourhoods to determine the differences in the level of satisfaction in each zone and to find out what extent the regulations are responsive to people‟s needs. Chapter Ten (Conclusion and Recommendation): summarises the research questions, methodology, findings and concludes the research‟s investigation. In addition, it addresses the limitations of the research. The final part of this chapter includes recommendations for further research.
Chapter Two: Conceptualizing the Good City
Contents
Page
2.0 Introduction ……….. 20 2.1 The Conceptual Framework of the Literature Review ……. 20 2.2 Urban Form and Good City ……….. 21 2.3 Planning Regulations and Good City ………... 41 2.4 Good Urban Governance and Good City ………. 55 2.5 Citizens Satisfaction, Acceptability and Value ……… 70 2.6 Conclusion ……… 72
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City
2.0 Introduction
The aim of this chapter is to explore the literature review to develop a theoretical framework for understanding the factors that influence the good city. The chapter is organised into five sections. The first section draws a framework for the literature review. The second section considers theories of urban form that have been developed to achieve the idea of good city. Section three reviews zoning regulation and explores the concept of density. In addition, it considers why there is often low compliance in developing countries. The penultimate section looks at the notion of good urban governance; approaches for measuring the performance and quality of urban governance; factors that influence institutional capacity and challenges of urban governance particularly in Middle East countries. A brief review of the importance of citizen satisfaction, acceptability and values in urban development is provided in the last section.