Diversification of Villa-Type Neighborhoods and Its Impact on Housing Shortages in a Growing Saudi Arabian City: A Case Study of Jeddah

• Main Authors: Deguchi, A. (Author), Maddah, R. (Author), Song, J. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2022
• Subjects: housing expansion; lot area; lot price; lot proportion; low-density neighborhoods; middle-income residents; new development; street area; street length; unplanned settlements
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 During the urbanization process in Jeddah, evidenced by an annual population growth rate of 9.5%, vacant lots have existed in developed residential areas in spite of the housing shortage. This study aimed at investigating the housing shortage problem and suggesting future solutions based on a predictive formula through four tasks: (1) examining the issues induced by population growth; (2) assessing the extent to which articles in the Procedure Manual for Preparation of Residential Land Subdivision (PMPRLS) foster diversity within villa-type neighborhoods; (3) clarifying the extent of the applicability of these articles and the contribution of existing neighborhood pat-terns to the housing shortage problem; and (4) providing recommendations for developing each kind of villa-type neighborhood to contribute to resolving the housing shortage. The proposed development methods for villa-type neighborhoods were derived from a correlation analysis using PMPRLS-related indicators in all such neighborhoods (103 study sites) in Jeddah and from a predictive regression analysis. This study suggests that each neighborhood class can contribute to resolving the housing shortage problem. In conclusion, diversifying lot areas, population density, and lot widths in current villa-type neighborhoods would have a positive impact on the housing shortage problem. © 2022 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.