| Author(s) | Mohammed M. SH. Al-Kahtani |
| Affiliation | Associate Professor, Faculty of Arabic Language, Social and Administrative Sciences, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 1183, Abha, Saudi Arabia |
| Title | Changes in Rural Land use of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: The Case of Al-Abidiah Village in Asir Region |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Architecture & Planning. Volume 16, No 1. (2004/1424) |
| Abstract | Rural settlements and land use in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have witnessed marked and rabid changes as a result of the wide spread of development and modernization which has taken place in the past few years. However, these changes have not yet attracted parallel attention from the social scientists and researchers. This paper, therefore, aims to examine and evaluate the changes in the rural land use of the mountain sector of Asir Region in southwestern Saudi Arabia as exemplified by Al-Abidiah village. Data for the study has been obtained primarily through fieldwork and repeated visitation to the village. The study finds that the function and morphology of the village have changed; from the traditional agricultural function to the services function, and from the compact shape to the irregular one. The study also indicates that the built-up area of the village has doubled eight folds during the last two decades. Consequently, the land use pattern in the village has also changed to follow the urban land use pattern. These findings are hoped to help regional and rural planners better understand and solve the varied planning and development problems of Asir village and the rural areas in the Kingdom at large. |
