I M P R O V E D M O B I L I T Y F O R A S P R AW L I N G C I T Y
BURAIDAH STRATEGIC TRANSPOR T PLAN
SAUDI ARABIA
With its current population of over
700,000, Buraidah is a major second-tier
city in Saudi Arabia and capital of the
Qassim region. The city has experienced
over 30 years of sprawling growth, both
consequence and cause of a car-oriented
mobility culture. Low residential density,
with high land vacancy levels and roadcentric investment have historically
hindered the implementation of public
transport.
This situation poses a serious challenge
to the accessibility, mobility and
sustainable development of the city. Its
central location and key position at the
intersection of the routes connecting
Riyadh to Medina and Jordan mean
Buraidah has the potential to become
a major hub for regional and national
transport. Without an effective planning
framework, however, this opportunity may
be missed.
BuroHappold Engineering was
commissioned by the municipality to
deliver a strategic transport plan for the
city. The plan covers a range of topics,
from land use to governance tools and
transport planning to manage future
transformation and mitigate the effects of
past planning policy.
From the outset, there was a shared
understanding that the concept of good
accessibility includes not only service
provision, but also the quality of the
public realm and the density of the urban
fabric. To develop this holistic approach,
BuroHappold established a local presence
in Buraidah, enabling frequent personal
contact with the client team, and close
collaboration with the network of
stakeholders, with whom our consultants
and engineers undertook numerous
interviews and surveys, as well as a dense
programme of workshops.
CLI EN T
The Municipality of Buraidah
PR OJ EC T VALU E
£1m +
SERV I CE S PR OV I D ED BY
BU R O HAPP O LD
Transport consulting, economic consulting
Work on the plan, which is currently
underway, comprises two parts; a
transport strategy and a traffic model.
While the first is a document containing
the hierarchy of objectives, actions and
projects to be implemented, the latter
is an analytical tool that forecasts and
assesses the strategies’ effects on the
evolution of the city.
The project will ultimately result in a
review of planning policy, and the much
needed improvement of mobility across
Buraidah, with a particular focus on groups
with limited mobility.
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