SUSTAINABLE PLANNING: THE NEED FOR STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT-BASED MUNICIPAL PLANNING IN SAUDI ARABIA

Habib M. Alshuwaikhat () and Yusuf A. Aina ()
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Habib M. Alshuwaikhat: Department of City & Regional Planning, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, PO Box 1632, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Yusuf A. Aina: Department of City & Regional Planning, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, PO Box 1632, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), 2005, vol. 07, issue 03, 387-405

Abstract: The Saudi government has made some efforts in incorporating the principles of sustainable development into the planning process by establishing a framework for considering environmental consequences of development activities. The framework is guided by the General Environmental Code. The Ministerial Committee on the Environment (MCE) coordinates the environmental assessment of plans, policies and programmes prior to approval. However, the framework tends to focus on plans and programmes at the national level with little or no explicit provision for ensuring the assessment of municipal plans, policies and programmes. This paper evaluates the integration of environmental assessment into the municipal planning process and the plan documents. The findings indicate that the implementation of environmental assessment at the municipal planning level is minimal. Inadequate institutional framework and lack of effective environment assessment legislation are the main barriers to the implementation. Overall, the assessment shows that there is the need to improve sustainability planning practice in the Kingdom.

Keywords: Strategic environmental assessment; master plan; sustainable planning; sustainability indicators; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1142/S1464333205002092

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