scholarly journals Planning of Urban Quarters, Districts and Neighbourhoods in Islam’s Holiest City: A Comparative Analytical Study

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Abdo Absi ◽  
Adel Binyaseen ◽  
Abdulghani Monawar
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Hierarchical Structures ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Scientific Analysis ◽  
Residential Quarter ◽  
Residential District ◽  
Density Development ◽  
Planning Concept

Global experiences of planning urban areas are characterised by adopting hierarchical structures from large to small structures, i.e. residential quarter (large residential area), residential district and then residential neighbourhood. Each structure is characterised according to the area, the number of people and the services required for targeting a sustainable urban environment. This concept is a milestone in urban planning in Saudi Arabia. The research attempted to discuss the general trend of planning housing projects in Saudi Arabia and the extent of applying the hierarchal concept. Three models were chosen randomly in Makkah, showing such planning hierarchy. These are Al Shawqiyyah, Al Sharaie and Al Rabwah. These projects were planned four decades ago and became a reality. Through comparative analytical methods, findings revealed ambiguity of the hierarchal planning concept in these projects. Further, the traditional neighbourhood concept was prevalent in most neighbourhoods characterised by low-density development in planning but medium and high densities in reality. The problem is getting worse as cities grow horizontally and vertically. Consistent scientific analysis based on practice and continuous meta-analysis was used. The paper calls for the need to change the current premises of housing plans and reorganise the accumulated problems according to global experiences and local standards.

scholarly journals Time Trends and Regional Variation in Prevalence of Asthma and Associated Factors in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalam Mohamed Hussain ◽  
Syeda Ayesha Farhana ◽  
Sulaiman Mohammed Alnasser
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Time Trends ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Publication Output ◽  
Asthma Prevalence ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban

Background. Asthma is the most common reason for emergency visits to hospital and loss of productive hours. In Saudi Arabia, asthma affects more than 2 million people and majority of them have uncontrolled asthma with their quality of life adversely being impacted. It is well known that the prevalence of asthma has been increasing in many places around the world in the last few decades. The present review attempted to identify studies on asthma and associated factors in Saudi Arabian population and assess their time trends and regional variation. Methods. The titles and abstracts of retrieved articles were compared to delete duplication and irrelevant data. A data collection form was designed to extract several key components from selected articles like bibliographic information on the article, study population, and sample size. Extracted information was grouped appropriately for data analysis. Database search retrieved 71 articles. Applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 40 articles were excluded and 31 qualified full articles were included for the review. Results. Among 31 retained studies, Riyadh had the highest publication output followed by Jeddah. Ten studies were based on ISAAC and 5 on non-ISAAC questionnaires while 5 studies were genetic studies conducted to unravel the genetic basis of asthma. Most of the studies were conducted on pediatric subjects of less than 16 years of age. Sample sizes ranged from less than 150 to more than 10000 with study settings being predominantly urban (22 studies). The pooled weighted prevalence rates of asthma, lifetime wheeze, and rhinitis were 14.3% (95% CI: 13.4–15.2), 16.5 (95% CI 15.5–17.4), and 21.4 (95% CI 20.5–22.3), respectively. An increase in asthma prevalence from 1990 to 2000 along with a stabilized or not so significant decline in the prevalence from 2010 to 2016 was observed. Conclusion. The prevalence of asthma varied in different regions without any disparity in prevalence in the rural and urban areas of Saudi Arabia. The understanding of genetic variability and recognition of risk factors in asthma patients can greatly help in individualizing the therapy for the management and control of asthma.

Remotely Delivered Monitoring and Management of Diabetes-Related Foot Disease: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

2021 ◽  
pp. 193229682110124
Author(s):  
Aaron Drovandi ◽  
Shannon Wong ◽  
Leonard Seng ◽  
Benjamin Crowley ◽  
Chanika Alahakoon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Limb Amputation ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Or Management ◽  
Foot Disease ◽  
Poor Reporting

Background: Diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) management requires input from multiple healthcare professionals, and has worse outcomes for people living in remote localities by comparison to urban areas. Remotely delivered healthcare may reduce this disparity. This overview summarizes current evidence on the effectiveness, stakeholder perceptions, and cost-effectiveness of remotely delivered healthcare for DFD. Methods: A search of 5 databases was conducted to identify systematic reviews published between January 2000 and June 2020. Eligible reviews were those evaluating remotely delivered monitoring or management of patients at risk of or with active DFD, or clinicians managing these patients. Risk of bias was assessed using the AMSTAR-2 tool. Results: Eight reviews were eligible for inclusion, including 88 primary studies and 8509 participants, of which 36 studies involving 4357 participants evaluated remotely delivered monitoring or management of DFD. Only one review had a low risk of bias, with most reviews demonstrating limited search strategies and poor reporting of participants. Evidence on effectiveness was mixed, with meta-analyses demonstrating long-term ulcer healing and mortality were not significantly different between telehealth and standard care groups, although the lower-limb amputation rate was significantly decreased in one meta-analysis. Perceptions of telehealth by patients and clinicians were generally positive, whilst acknowledging limitations relating to access and use. Cost-effectiveness data were limited, with poor reporting preventing clear conclusions. Conclusions: Remotely delivered healthcare of DFD is well received by patients and clinicians, but its effectiveness is unclear. High quality trials are needed to evaluate the risks and benefits of remotely delivered DFD management.

scholarly journals Meta-Analysis of Storm Water Impacts in Urbanized Cities Including Runoff Control and Mitigation Strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Zhang ◽  
Samuel T. Ariaratnam
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Storm Water ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Land Resources ◽  
Drainage Systems ◽  
Runoff Reduction ◽  
Natural Land ◽  
Rain Events

The rate of urbanization has been impacted by global economic growth. A strong economy results in more people moving to already crowded urban centers to take advantage of increased employment opportunities often resulting in sprawling of the urban area. More natural land resources are being exploited to accommodate these anthropogenic activities. Subsequently, numerous natural land resources such as green areas or porous soil, which are less flood-prone and more permeable are being converted into buildings, parking lots, roads and underground utilities that are less permeable to storm water runoff from rain events. With the diminishing of the natural landscape that can drain storm water during a rainfall event, urban underground drainage systems are being designed and built to tackle the excess runoff resulting from urbanization. However, the rapid pace of urbanization has profoundly affected the formation of urban runoff thus resulting in the existing underground drainage system being unable to handle current flow conditions. This paper discusses storm water impacts in urbanized areas globally by reviewing historical storm water events and mitigation strategies accompanied with runoff reduction performance that are considered simultaneously for the purpose of relieving the stress on underground drainage systems. It was found that the stormwater impact on ten selected typical urban areas were enormously destructive followed by billions of direct economy loss, fatalities, damaged properties and residents’ relocations. Furthermore, the meta-analysis of selected six runoff mitigation methods indicated that the average runoff reduction percent ranged from 43% to 61% under different rain events in various installed sites across different event years.

I Centri Sociali italiani: verso tre decadi di occupazioni e di spazi autogestiti

2012 ◽  
pp. 69-92
Author(s):  
Pierpaolo Mudu
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
Hierarchical Structures ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Neoliberal Globalization ◽  
Employment Contracts ◽  
Regular Employment ◽  
Production Relations ◽  
Alternative Practices

In the 1970s, Italy experienced a difficult crisis that marked the end of the economic model carried out after world war two. The resulting changes in production relations led to the disappearance of traditional public spaces and meeting places such as open squares, workplaces, party offices or the premises of left extra-parliamentary groups. Within this context, in the 1980s and 1990s, these groups managed to create new social and political spaces by setting up Self-Managed Social Centers, ie squatted properties which became the venue of social, political and cultural events. In Italy, over 300 Social Centers have been active over the past 25 years, especially in urban areas. Their organizational modes indicate examples of successful direct democracy in non-hierarchical structures and may provide alternative options to the bureaucratic organization of so many aspects of social and political life. Social Centers have turned abandoned places into public spaces relying mostly on collective action, that is cooperative working modes which do not come under the provisions governing regular employment contracts. Their actions explicitly contest marginalization and exclusion processes which are becoming more and more fierce in our cities. An analysis of the evolution of this original Italian movement provides the opportunity to address a number of issues associated with alternative practices to neoliberal globalization.

Exploring preferences for affordable housing criteria importance among EWS in India

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavan Namdeo Ghumare ◽  
Krupesh A. Chauhan ◽  
Sanjaykumar M. Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Town Planning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Planning Experts ◽  
Criteria Importance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide affordable housing to economically weaker section (EWS). The enormity of India’s housing affordability problem has led the authors to study and analyze the criteria delaying an affordable housing for EWS. The issues affecting supply and demand for affordable housing in Indian urban areas for EWS are analyzed. Design/methodology/approach The judgment sampling is used among housing and planning experts working in five different sectors, including local authorities, housing developers, housing sectors, town planning and property/affordable housing consultants. The study has established the problem and acknowledged 30 factors behind it. A total of 349 questionnaires were administered among the housing experts in 4 states of India. Descriptive statistical method was used to determine the significance of criteria. Findings A complete structure of criteria signifying housing affordability, established by the authors, is validated and analyzed in this paper. The questionnaire surveys were conducted with housing and planning experts across the four states of India to determine household perceptions on the criteria contributing to housing affordability and to rank these criteria according to their importance. The study establishes that the experts’ views on this issue differ insignificantly across different states of India, while they differ in certain levels depending on the urban area. Practical implications To build successful societies for the future, the authors wish to draw closer on affordability issues for EWS. The suggestions prominent information to investors, and real estate firms, which could assistance ecological growth of housing projects that are affordable. Originality/value Based on the examination of the ranking and greatness of housing criteria, this paper further suggests possible developments for EWS in India.

scholarly journals Flood Hazard Assessment of the Urban Area of Tabuk City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by Integrating Spatial-Based Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic Modeling

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf Abdelkarim ◽  
Ahmed Gaber ◽  
Ahmed Youssef ◽  
Biswajeet Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Hydraulic Modeling ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Flood Hazards ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
The Impact

This study deals with the use of remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GISs), hydrologic modeling (water modeling system, WMS), and hydraulic modeling (Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System, HEC-RAS) to evaluate the impact of flash flood hazards on the sustainable urban development of Tabuk City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Determining the impact of flood hazards on the urban area and developing alternatives for protection and prevention measures were the main aims of this work. Tabuk City is exposed to frequent flash flooding due to its location along the outlets of five major wadis. These wadis frequently carry flash floods, seriously impacting the urban areas of the city. WMS and HEC-HMS models and RS data were used to determine the paths and morphological characteristics of the wadis, the hydrographic flow of different drainage basins, flow rates and volumes, and the expansion of agricultural and urban areas from 1998 to 2018. Finally, hydraulic modeling of the HEC-RAS program was applied to delineate the urban areas that could be inundated with floodwater. Ultimately, the most suitable remedial measures are proposed to protect the future sustainable urban development of Tabuk City from flood hazards. This approach is rarely used in the KSA. We propose a novel method that could help decision-makers and planners in determining inundated flood zones before planning future urban and agricultural development in the KSA.

The Child Obesity Epidemic in Saudi Arabia: A Review of the Literature

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 505-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sama S. Hammad ◽  
Diane C. Berry
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Obesity Risk Factors ◽  
Arabic And English

Purpose: To examine prevalence, nutrition and activity, and overweight and obesity prevention and management in Saudi Arabia. Design: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis criteria, PubMed, Web of Science, PyschINFO, Global Health, Family Studies Worldwide, Middle Eastern Studies, and Sociological Abstracts was searched from January 1, 2003 to January 31, 2016. Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed articles published in Arabic and English that focused on prevalence, overweight or obesity in children 2 to 20 years of age, body mass index percentile, and interventions. Findings: Three themes were identified: epidemiological features, where the eastern region had the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity, risk factors, which included higher parental education, and lifestyle factors, which included increased consumption of calorie-dense food and a sedentary lifestyle. Conclusion: Childhood obesity is increasing in Saudi Arabia at an alarming rate. Implications for Practice: Practitioners need to consider the cultural influences of the increasing obesity epidemic in Saudi Arabia.

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