The construction of Riyadh's Metro has ambitious goals to relieve gridlock and reduce obesity. Perhaps more importantly, it aims to grant women the freedom of mobility. “That's a lot to expect from a public transport system,” writes Susanne Koelbl.
The City of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is implementing a strategic master plan to introduce an urgently needed subway system and undo its heavily congested, auto-centric built form. Currently under construction, the new Riyadh Metro will consist of “six metro lines -- both overground and underground – that fan out across the city like a spider's web, covering a total of 176 kilometers (109 miles).”
Walking appears to be non-existent for many Saudis, and the president of the Arriyadh Development Authority says that 50 years of urban planning failures is to blame. “The streets are empty and public squares are deserted. There are more six-lane highways than sidewalks,” says Ibrahim Sultan. “Saudis spend their entire lives moving between the air-conditioned interiors of their homes, their cars and the shopping mall.”
“That's why the new metro is designed not only to improve conditions in the inner city -- but to usher in social change,” reports Koelbl. “It could serve as a first step toward subtle progress in a country dominated by Wahhabism, an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni Islam, where women may not drive, seldom leave their homes alone and must always have full body cover and wear a veil when they do.”
In the new subway, women and children will be able to travel without escorts or controls, and will enter into separate compartments from men. “As anachronistic as that may seem, though, it marks progress nonetheless,” says Sultan.
FULL STORY: Mobility for Women: Riyadh Metro Promises Social Change
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.