A Conceptual framework for developing urban image in the Middle East and Arab World. Case study: the urban image of Jeddah city

The beginning of the 1960s saw the evolution of some of the pioneers of urban planning who sought to preserve the image of the city in a time of globalization and modernization, such as Kevin Lynch, Gordon Cullen and Jane Jacob. Lynch contributed through theory and ideas about the city's image and how to enhance the clarity of such an image, as well as to identify the obstacles or problems facing the image and identity of the city. Lynch applied his concept to various U.S. cities and its success contributed to the spread and validation of this work in other global cities. Each region has a distinctive image and identity which distinguishes it from other cities. The form of any city includes the physical features that define the city's image and identity. However, there are several additional factors affecting the composition of the general appearance of the city, the formation of its character and urban fabric, such as environmental, social, cultural and economic factors. The rapid economic progress and development in the Middle East has led to changes in the image of most of their cities, as well as their spatial identity and general appearance. Therefore, the main aim of this thesis is “to develop the urban image in the Middle East and Arab World by building a conceptual framework based on Kevin Lynch’s methodology and his associated concepts, to assess the urban image of the city and enhance its identity”. A case study approach was adopted to examine whether the formulated conceptual framework could be applied in practice. Evidence from the case studies was drawn from a critical documentary review of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as the main case, combined with field observation, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The main factors that affect the perception of the urban image, as well as the barriers which hinder the efficiency of the urban image, were identified from this evaluation. The final part of this thesis attempted to provide a number of recommendations to address these factors and mitigate the barriers. The most important contribution was that of developing a conceptual framework which can help to assess the urban image of the city and enhance its identity. This framework attempted to provide a methodology and guidelines to improve the urban image in developing countries in general, and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular