As a result of the growing significance of cities in Saudi Arabia an agreement has been developed between the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) for the implementation of a technical cooperation programme entitled Future Saudi Cities Program.

The Future Saudi Cities Program (FSCP) contributes to developing a new vision and a strategic planning framework for a sustainable urban future in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that follows international standards and fully aligned with the Municipalities New Strategy.

The FSCP is located in the City Planning Secretariat of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and aims to enhance the secretariat’s performance in fulfilling its functions, in particular providing its planning services at national, regional and local levels. With this in mind, the improvement of urban planning and design as well as the effective implementation of urban plans’ outcomes by local authorities and coordinated line ministries is the focus of the FSCP. This will be achieved through a three pronged approach building on i) the promotion of high quality urban design supported by practical implementation strategies incorporating, ii) economic and financial tools and iii) effective legal and institutional structures. The goal is to have prosperous cities that are productive, equitable, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable, with adequate efficient infrastructure and providing a high quality of life