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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.
Highlights
This paper aims to deconstruct the timeline of the social housing development process in Saudi Arabia tracing the critical junctures in shaping and directing towards an inclusive housing delivery approach, factors affecting institutional transformation and institutional readiness towards a sustainable and collaborative housing policy
The five-year planning documents (1970–2016) were critically reviewed to flesh out the historical timeline. Apart from these government documents, we reviewed scholarly literature published on the Saudi and Middle Eastern social housing contexts to understand the debate, impacts on development and to bring some comparative perspectives
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was not developed in terms of construction or planning and the people used to lead a nomadic life which was highly mobile and instable [42]
Summary
While two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050, the housing challenge will be critical for low-income urbanites [1,2]. Housing is one of the key determinants of sustainable development, which constitutes the critical focus for the well-being of people. Sustainable social housing initiatives seek to provide standards that achieve the desired goals for developing communities in the longer term [3]. One significant aspect of social housing is to ensure guaranteed access for the needy, which is their fundamental right [5]. Countries across the globe are conscious that housing is one of the key elements in the formation of cities; it has a significant impact on socio-economic status, politics, security, and other aspects of people’s lives [6]. Addressing the poor and neediest groups in the society through social housing helps to maintain social justice and resist further illegal encroachment of public lands that could contribute to an unsustainable urban landscape (Kellett, Christen [4,7,8])
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