The future of adobe settlements in Saudi Arabia

Some thirty years ago, a large proportion of the population in Saudi Arabia lived in adobe settlements. With the increase in national income which resulted from the increase in oil prices in the 1970s and the availability of easy interest-free house loans, many people abandoned their adobe houses and moved to new reinforced concrete houses in new neighborhoods or in new settlements a few miles away from the old ones. As a result, many dilapidated buildings remain in the center of towns and cities and in totally abandoned settlements. This paper examines the factors that led to these phenomena, some of which relate to rising housing standards and the difficulty of upgrading adobe houses and adobe settlements to meet the new standards. The paper then examines the current municipal policies with regard to abandoned houses and settlements and suggests some courses of action.