Critical Junctures in Sustainable Social Housing Policy Development in Saudi Arabia: A Review

Abstract

Historicising social housing delivery approach is extensively carried out for Western countries, but studies of social housing policy journey are less focused on developing nations and examining the policy development within resource-abundant Middle Eastern countries is even rarer. Applying a critical juncture approach through the historical institutionalism lens, this paper seeks to understand the evolution of social housing policies within the Saudi Arabian context. An in-depth policy review suggests that the institutional response in this sector has transitioned from a public-welfare perspective to a more neoliberal vision in recent times. The study also indicates a time-lag in policy development regarding social housing within the urban development process in Saudi Arabia compared to global movement. During the past few years, the government has begun to focus on social housing under the developmental housing program with a commitment to link these strategies to the Saudi Vision 2030. While this is a significant policy-shift in the service delivery approach, such vision could be workable as long as sufficient room is built in for other non-government actors to work within their specific protocols and frameworks as they collaborate to provide affordable and appropriate housing for the neediest groups of the society.

Sustainability of the government policy on social housing construction in South Africa: the emerging issues

“…P13: "No they are not sustainable. These houses are poorly constructed, due to that they can only last for 5 years at least and after that they start to collapse" Al Mulhim et al [12] indicated that when policy sustainability is not considered, housing quality may decline, adding to these groups' future maintenance and quality costs. The government funds social housing programmes and acquires its money from citizens.…”

“…Housing is one of the fundamental building blocks of cities, and nations worldwide are aware of its significant influence on people's financial position, politics, security, and other facets of life [11]. Social housing assists in addressing the most vulnerable sections of society, upholding social justice, and preventing future unauthorised use of public lands that can result in an unsustainable urban environment [12]. When sustainability is not considered, housing quality may decline, increasing future maintenance and quality costs [12].…”

“…Social housing assists in addressing the most vulnerable sections of society, upholding social justice, and preventing future unauthorised use of public lands that can result in an unsustainable urban environment [12]. When sustainability is not considered, housing quality may decline, increasing future maintenance and quality costs [12].…”

“…It includes how a project affects the population's well-being [13]. This is in addition to utilising social housing layouts that shift away from conventional housing, such as high-density apartment complexes, and keep up with contemporary technology [12]. Social equity, or the equitable distribution of benefits and opportunities, is frequently considered to have a tight connection to social sustainability [9].…”

Conserving a sustainable urban environment through energy security and project management practices

“…And what research can be done into increasing sustainable practice without the aid of government involvement? Mostly researches acknowledge on the government subsidies for the sustainable urbanisation practices (Al Mulhim et al 2022;Hong et al 2021).…”