Essay About Development in Saudi Arabia

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In the last fifty years, urbanization as a phenomenon of rapid physical growth of villages, towns and cities has occurred in almost every quarter of the Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia. . The urbanization process in Saudi Arabia was further accelerated in the 1970s after the government started to implement a series of five-year development plans. During this period, and at a very rapid speed, old settlements were expanded in size, new towns were built, basic infrastructures were laid down, and many other important large- and small-scale urban projects were developed . However, since the reduction of oil prices in the mid-1980s, and the Gulf War in early 1990s, the development process has been slowed down. In Saudi Arabia the acceleration of the phenomenon of urbanization during the seventies and early eighties and the deceleration of the urbanization during the nineties were likely due to several factors. Among the most overriding ones are the following: 1. The high level of integration into the global economy, which has further strengthened the links between Saudi Arabia’s national socio-economic and urban policies and those of the international community, especially of the Western nations. 2. The existence of a substantial amount of revenue, which resulted from the large increase in oil prices and production after 1973. 3. The government’s decision to quickly achieve maximum socio-economic growth and 4. improvement in the average quality of urban life and living standards for the rapidly increasing local population. These factors are possibly the controlling mechanism that may have provoked rapid urban expansion in almost all parts of Saudi Arabia. In addition, the high influx of foreign experts into the country is another factor that may have contributed into shaping the country’s entire current pattern of labor forces and

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