Prospects for Introducing Medium-Density Row Housing in Jeddah City

Abstract

Architectural researchers ensure that residential buildings in any area are appropriately planned for the landscape and meet the needs of current and future residents. Row houses are well known in residential sectors of the United States and many European countries, but the data on row housing in Saudi Arabia is very limited. As residential structures, row houses are reasonably priced and architecturally resilient. They also fill the affordable housing gap for middle-class residents – sometimes called the “missing middle” – in major urban centers such as Jeddah. Like other cities of its size, Jeddah has been slow to adopt medium-density residential structures. This research evaluates the Jeddah community’s likelihood of accepting row housing, surveying a cross-section of residents seeking housing options other than the apartments currently available. Our questionnaire investigated variables such as gender, age group awareness, house size, architectural functional features, preferable cost, and other considerations. The data and resulting analysis concluded that more than 90% of the respondents would prefer row houses to current options as their primary housing choice.