econ- ct 5
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CPIProfileforBuraydah.pdf
BURAIDAH CPI PROFILE 2018
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Acknowledgment
Table of contents:
List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………….
List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………...
Abbreviations………………………………………………………………………………
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..
Overview of Buraydah City:
- Historical Background ……………………………………………………………. - Geography and Location…………………………………………………………… - Demographic Background………………………………………………………….. - Socio-economic Background……………………………………………………….. - The trend on urban growth and existing structure plan………………………………....
The City Prosperity Index (CPI) Assessment
- Overall City Prosperity Index for Buraydah………………………………………...
- Analysis of Productivity Index……………………………………………………...
- Analysis of Infrastructure Development Index……………………………………..
- Analysis of Quality of Life Index…………………………………………………..
- Analysis of Equity and Social Inclusion Index……………………………………..
- Analysis of Environmental Sustainability Index…………………………………...
- Analysis of Urban Governance and Legislation Index……………………………..
- SWOT Analysis based on the City’s Prosperity Index……………………………..
Local Urban Observatory
- About Urban Observatories ………………………………………………………..
- Buraydah - Local Urban Observatory………………………………….…………..
- Structure of the Local Urban Observatory………………………….………………
- Performance of the Local Urban Observatory……………………………………...
References………………………………………………………………………………….
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List of Tables
Table 1: Scale of Urban Prosperity………………………………………………………....
Table 2: Productivity Index ………………………………………………………………...
Table 3: Infrastructure Development Index………………………………………………...
Table 4: Quality of Life Index ……………………………………………………………..
Table 5: Equity and Social Inclusion Index ………………………………………………..
Table 6: Environmental Sustainability Index ……………………………………………...
Table 7: SWOT Analysis base on City Prosperity Index…………………………………..
List of Figures
Figure 1: Population Pyramid for Buraydah and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia……………
Figure 2: Land use and Urban Growth Limit……………………………………………….
Figure 3: Productivity Indicators …………………………………………………………...
Figure 4: Infrastructure Development Indicators…………………………………………...
Figure 5: Quality of Life Indicators………………………………………………………...
Figure 6: Equity and Social Inclusion Indicators…………………………………………..
Figure 7: Environmental Sustainability Indicators…………………………………………
Abbreviations
KSA Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
CPI City Prosperity Index
LUO Local Urban Observatories
SWOT Analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Analysis
UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme
MOMRA Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs
FSCP Future Saudi Cities Programme
GIS Geographic Information System
GUO Global Urban Observatory
NUO National Urban Observatory
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
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PI Productivity Index
IDI Infrastructure Development Index
QoLI Quality of Life Index
ESII Equity and Social Inclusion Index
ESI Environmental Sustainability Index
GLI Governance and Legislation Index
Introduction
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and Ministry of Municipal and
Rural Affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (MOMRA) jointly launched UN-HABITAT Saudi
Arabia Programme titled “ Future Saudi Cities Programme (FSCP)”, the UN-HABITAT Office has
been providing technical support to the MOMRA and targets 17 key cities in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia including Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Medina, Tabuk, Damam, Qatif, Ihsa, Abha, Najran,
Jazan, Hail, Araar, AlBaha, Buraydah and Sakaka, to respond to national and local urban challenges.
UN-Habitat provides a new approach for measuring urban prosperity: which is holistic, integrated and
essential for the promotion and evaluation of socio-economic development, inclusion and progressive
realization of the urban-related human rights for all. This new approach redirects cities to function
towards a path of an urban future that is economically, politically, socially and environmentally
prosperous. The new approach or monitoring framework, The Cities Prosperity Index (CPI), is a
multidimensional framework that integrates six carefully selected dimensions and several indicators
that relate to factors and conditions necessary for a city to thrive and prosper. The six dimensions
include productivity, infrastructure development, equity and social inclusion, environmental
sustainability, and urban governance. The CPI uses the concept of The Wheel of Urban Prosperity and
the Scale of Urban Prosperity to enable stakeholders to assess achievements in cities. The City
Prosperity Index (CPI) not only provide indices and measurements relevant to cities; it is an assessment
tool that enables city authorities, as well as local and national stakeholders, to identify opportunities
and potential areas of intervention for their cities to become more prosperous.
Under the FSCP, the UN-HABITAT, MOMRA, Qassim Municipality, and its Local Urban Observatory
have been working on developing urban statistics and spatial information (Geographic Information
System) in order to provide relevant urban information that strongly supports decision-making process
on urban development and urban planning in Buraydah.
This CPI Profile Report applies the CPI framework to provide a summary of the basic information and
urban statistics about the City and gives an overview of the city’s achievements, opportunities and
potential areas that contribute to its prosperity including productivity, infrastructure development,
equity and social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and urban governance.
Historical Background
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According to historical accounts, Buraydah is relatively a new city, having been founded in the 9th
Hijrah century. The city grew steadily partly due to its important location at the junction of major trade
routes: its located at the convergence of three main axes, the Riyadh - Buraydah axis, the Ha’il -
Buraydah axis, and Madina - Buraydah axis: this is a very important junction in the Kingdom. The
Zubaidah route, now Zubaidah road is one of the oldest Hajj routes and allot of historical events revolve
around this Zubaidah route, it begins in Iraq through North Arabian Gulf and ending in Makkah Al
Mukaramah; it has been used by Hajj caravans for centuries. Zubaidah (Buraidah bin Al-Khaseeb Al-
Aslami), wife of the Caliph Haroon Al Rasheed a companion of Prophet Mohamed, dug wells along
this route to supply pilgrims with water and that is why it was called the Zubaidah route and the city
also got its name. The growth of Buraydah into a city is also attributed to its agricultural products and
animal wealth which supported trade with Hajj pilgrims from Iraq and North Arabian Gulf region; the
traditional oasis products of dates, lemon, and orange, as well as camel and sheep farming, are still
important for the local economy till today.
Geography and Location.
Buraydah city is the capital of Al-Qassim Region in the north-central part of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, at the intersection of latitudes 26º 44 ́ and 26º 18 ́ north and longitudes 43º 52 ́ and 43º 51 ́
east; at an altitude between 600 and 650 meters above sea level. Around the city are towns such as
Al Butayn to the north, Al Asyah, Al Tarafiyah and Al Rubaiah to the East, Unayzah to the
South and Al Bukayriyah to the West (Hassan, 2006). Buraydah is approximately 330Km North
West of Riyadh, about 700Km North East of Makkah, and about 500Km East of Madinah. The
geographical area of Buraydah city is approximately 1300Km2. Buraydah has a typical desert climate,
with hot summers, cold winters, and low humidity. The annual average temperature is 32oC (High),
17oC (Low) and an average annual rainfall of about 146mm.
Demographic Background
Population is the basic foundation for setting up any development plan and the first building block to
be laid or specified when starting the preparation of any city planning study since it is the people who
are the beneficiaries of any development programs. Similarly, population is at the core of the new
Sustainable Development Goals "SDGs 2030" agenda which sets a “human theme” as one of the most
important themes that need to be addressed, "Action for People". Therefore looking at the trends and
the dynamics a city’s population is right within the scope of any development agenda or program. By
analyzing the demographics of a city it becomes easy to plan for more employment opportunities,
services, housing, healthcare and many other things.
According to the 2010 Census, the population of Buraydah was 536396 people, this represented 41.5%
of the population of Al Qassim Province and about 2 % of the population of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. Between 2004 and 2009, the average annual population growth rate was 3.67%, a growth rate
higher than the average for either the region or the Kingdom. Buraydah has an estimated population of
556,448 inhabitants (2016) and occupies a total footprint area of approximately 223.8km2, therefore
the city has a population density of about 2486 inhabitants per square kilometer. The following chart
shows the trend of the population and the estimated number of households. Following the national
population structure, Burayda has a young population, 46% of the city population is below 24 years
and more than half of the city population are below 30 years of age; 3% of the population is above 65
years (see population pyramid below), this is an increase from 2.4% in 2010. The unemployment rate
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in the city is 12%, with the low employment rate it’s imperative that something is done urgently to
create more jobs, especially for the youths.
Figure 1: The Population Pyramid of Buraydah in 2010 (for KSA citizens only)
The population of males (57.9%) is higher than that of the females (42.1%). The difference is normally
associated with the high population of expatriate workforce in the country generally, the majority of
which are not accompanied by their wives or are unmarried. The average household size is 5.25 people
per household, it is clearly visible from the chart below that the oil boom in the 70s had a significant
impact on the household size in the city, the effect has since normalized.
Figure 2: Trends of Estimated City Population & Number of Households.
Socio-Economic Background
Buraydah has four main sectors that support its economy, they include agricultural sector, commercial
sector, public sector or government agencies and the service and administrative sector. Due to its
location at a junction point, the city is one of the largest trade centres / a commercial hub in the region.
According to SAGIA, trade in Qassim region represent 6.6% of the total trading establishments in the
Kingdom which amounted to 1.19 million establishments. Agriculture is another cornerstone of the
economy of the city, a significant proportion of the city GDP come from agricultural production. The
traditional oasis products of dates, lemon, orange and other fruits are still important. Wheat has also
been introduced and has become so successful that Buraydah is one of the largest producers in the
kingdom. Buraydah, also known as the Dates city has the largest Dates and Carmel markets in the world
and exports dates to over 20 countries. To the south of Buraydah are the Al-Shibaq farms which have
lots of palm trees, orchards, and vegetables. The sector that provides the most number of employment
in the public and commercial sector accounting for 60%.
10000 45000 60000
248000
505000
623536 640983
658552 675746
692540 708869
1639 7377 10000 40656
82787 102219 105079 107959 110778 113531 116208
-50000
50000
150000
250000
350000
450000
550000
650000
750000
1888 1960 1972 1992 2004 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
City Population Estimated Number of household
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The table below shows the distribution of economic activities in the city of Buraidah. The table
indicates that most economic activities in the city are concentrated in the public service sector, these
activities could range from people employed by the government to those who provide goods and service
to the government. The other key sectors are the service and the trade sector which accounts for 15.5%
and 10.3% of all the activities, respectively. Other important sectors include industrial, construction
and the transport sector. The agricultural sector may show a low level of economic activities but
according to GDP figures, the sector has high productivity.
Table1: The structure of urban economic activity of Buraidah City.
Sectors of economic activities Percentage
The activity of the local public administration sector (the government) 45.3
Services sector 15.5
Industry sector 2.6
Trade Sector 10.3
Transport and communications sector 1.5
Agriculture and fishing/hunting sector 1.1
The construction sector 5.8
Not working 17.9
Total 100
Source: Urban Observatory of Buraidah Metropolitan Area.
The trend of urban growth and existing spatial plans:
Buraidah city and its urban form historically have developed more significantly since 1914 till the
present time. It has passed through stages of growth some of which characterized by rapid urban growth
and other by limited growth. These stages are represented in the following:
Stage I: growth inside the walls before (1914): It is believed that the choice of the location of the city
is due to the presence of groundwater near arable lands, the city grew naturally around a well along
with an ancient pilgrim’s route. This stage characterized by the building of walls and the growth inside
the walls was gradual towards the north and east.
Stage II: growth outside the walls (1914 - 1962): This stage was characterized by urbanization outside
the walls with an increase up to 249.2 hectares in the north and east.
Stage III: limited growth (1962- 1972): This Stage was characterized by limited urban growth, during
this period the city increased by 157.3 hectares only, this was due to the attention paid to preserve high-
quality agricultural lands and to maintain them.
Stage IV: The first urban boom (1972- 1985): This Stage was characterized by the surge in urban
growth, the city increased by 6467.45 hectares along the corridors of roads that had been implemented
at that time and the city's population was about 65,000 persons, as in 1977.
Stage V: limited growth (1985 - 1994): This stage was characterized by linear growth along the
corridor of King Abdul Aziz Road. This growth included the emergence of light manufacturing and
wholesale activities, and the city's population was about 240,091 persons, is in 1992.
Stage VI: The second urban boom (1994- 2008): This Stage was characterized by rapid and large
growth with an increase of 20414.9 hectares. The urbanization trend during the period was
characterized by high density towards the north and east of the city, then the implementation of the
Ring Road led to the emergence of urbanism outside the urban cluster i.e. population increased outside
the ring road. The total population of the city increased to 377,701 persons, as of 2004.
Table2: Stages of urban growth of Buraidah City.
Stage Area (ha) The increase in growth (ha) The amount of the increase Annual rate
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Before 1589 1,4 1,4 0 0,00
1589 - 1769 5.4 4.04 2.9 0.02
1969 - 1883 39.50 34.07 6.3 0.3
1883 - 1914 63.3 23.8 0.6 0.74
1914 - 1962 312.4 249.2 3.9 5.00
1962 - 1972 469.80 157.3 0.5 15.73
1972 - 1985 6937.3 6467.5 13.8 497.50
1985 - 1994 1261.3 5679.06 0.8 567.9
1994 - 2015 33031.20 20414.9 16.2 1458.2
Source: Project of preparation of local and detailed plans of Buraidah City
The National Spatial Strategy was developed in 2005 by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs
(MOMRA) in order to achieve a balanced urban development in the Kingdom. However, currently, the
ministry’s aim is to re-evaluate this strategy and update it in light of many recent activities, such as:
• The Kingdom’s vision 2030 plan which was launched in 2016
• Great technological development and transformation since the preparation of the NSS to date.
• The trend of not depending on oil as the major source of income in the Kingdom and move towards a multiplicity of sources of income. Such changes regarding the sources of national
income were not envisaged at the time of the preparation of NSS strategy.
• Reliance on alternative and renewable energy sources.
Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that the focus of the National Spatial Strategy with respect to
Buraidah City still remains. The National Spatial Strategy considered Buraidah City within the Central
Development Corridor of (Riyadh-Al Kharj-Qassim) to the east, and Hail and Sakaka up to Tabuk in
the north. This corridor represents the Development Corridor currently existing in the central part of
the Kingdom which enjoys high development potentials represented in the industrial, commercial and
financial activities as well as specialized services and agricultural activities.
Over time the city of Burayda has had several improvements in its spatial plans and growth, most of
the changes are necessitated by the increase in population and need for change in land use mix. In 1975
a Greek planning company contracted by the government developed a grid plan for Buraydah city. The
1975 plan was not implemented; by 1983, due to increase in population many modern residential
developments took place outside the areas set in the 1975 plan, allot of these unplanned developments
happened in the north; the proposed industrial zones in the south had not been developed as most of the
industrial development took place longitudinally along the main road towards Onaizah city. An Urban
Growth Boundaries study was conducted in 1987 and updated in 2007; the updated plan for the city of
Buraydah was prepared by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MoMRA), it emphasized the
longitudinal axis from south to north "the part between King Khalid Road and King Abdullah road"
and allocated for state-owned commercial residential uses. It also emphasized the horizontal axis from
east to west (road of Riyadh-Medina) and allocated them to the regional service (public institutions
serving the whole region), some areas were allocated for industrial use in the southeastern parts of the
city and surrounded them with an agricultural belt. Some areas were allocated for agricultural
investment on the south and west side of the city. Areas reserved for residential were provided for on
the northern side.
The urban boundary for Buraydah Metropolitan covers a proximately 912Km2, the urban built-up area
also referred to as urban footprint covers an estimated area of about 223.8Km2. In 2012 the population
density of the city was about 600 persons per square kilometers: very low compared to other prosperous
cities in the Europe and America. Land use pattern in the city may still change, about 443Km2 (48%)
of the city’s urban area is vacant land, agricultural land within the urban boundary is estimated around
103Km2. There is still a lot of room for future urban development with a good mix of land uses. Figure
2 below, shows the trend of urban growth limit control and land uses for the city of Buraydah.
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Figure 3: Land use and Urban Growth Limit
Analysis of City Prosperity Index (CPI)
Prosperity implies success, wellbeing, thriving conditions, safety and security, long life etc. Prosperity
in cities, therefore, is about successfully meeting today’s needs without compromising tomorrow and
working together for a smart, competitive economy, in a socially inclusive society and a healthy, vibrant
environment for individuals, families, and communities. Prosperity in cities is a process and cities can
be at different levels of prosperity. In order to measure the level and also track how cities progress on
the path to becoming prosperous, UN-Habitat introduced a monitoring framework: The Cities
Prosperity Index (CPI). The CPI is a composite index with six carefully selected dimensions that
captures all important elements of a prosperous city. This index along with a conceptual matrix, The
Wheel of Urban Prosperity and a Global Scale of City Prosperity, are intended to help city authorities,
decision-makers, partners and other stakeholders to use existing evidence and formulate clear policies
and interventions for their cities.
Figure 4: Scale of Urban Prosperity and the Wheel of Urban Prosperity
The UN-Habitat’s Cities Prosperity Index (CPI) allows authorities and local groups to identify
opportunities and potential areas for action or adjustments in order to make their cities more prosperous.
The CPI is a multidimensional framework that integrates several dimensions and indicators that are not
only related but have a direct and indirect influence on in regard to fostering prosperity in cities. These
components are embodied in the following six dimensions: Productivity, Infrastructure Development,
Quality of life, Equity and social inclusion, Environmental sustainability, and Governance and
legislation. Each of the dimensions is comprised of several indicators measured differently. Since the
indicators are measured in different units, the first step in the index computation involves the
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normalization of the indicators into values ranging between 0 and 11; the normalized values are then
aggregated stepwise to create the single value called the City Prosperity Index.
The following sections applies the CPI framework, the concept of the Wheel of Urban Prosperity and
the Scale of Urban Prosperity to conduct an assessment of the level of prosperity in the city. The
assessment provides an indication of the strengths or weaknesses in the factors of prosperity (in
reference to the scale of urban prosperity); it also provides an indication of the level of achievement
towards the set prosperity goals (based on the magnitude of the CPI scores); and highlights whether
there are disparities between and within the six dimensions of prosperity (based on the concept of the
Wheel of Urban Prosperity-stressing balance). An in-depth analysis of the findings will help to identify
which particular sub-dimensions and indicators contribute to high or low values in each of the
dimensions and the CPI scores.
Overall City Prosperity Index for Burayda City
The city of Buraydah has an overall city prosperity index score of 48%, this according to the global
scale of urban prosperity implies that the city is rated as having weak prosperity elements. Meaning the
city still has a long way to go in the quest to achieve high prosperity. The prosperity of cities requires
a good balance of strong indicators of prosperity, low scores, therefore, is an indication of either weak
or imbalanced factors. A combination where some indicators are too low while others are very high
lucks balance and therefore is undesirable2. There are some dimensions of prosperity in which the city
performs dismally and thus waters down its overall prosperity, such weak dimensions includes
infrastructure dimension (57%), equity and social inclusion (54%), environmental sustainability (33%),
urban governance and legislation (38%), and productivity (43%). The only dimension rated as strong
is the quality of life dimension with 69%. This can be observed in the radar chart below which instead
of taking the shape of a round wheel it actually takes the shape of a crooked polygon or flat tire.
Figure 5: The Six Dimensions of City Prosperity Index
The analysis in the next sections will dissect all the dimensions and sub-dimensions down to the
individual indicators of prosperity of the city of Buraydah and identify areas of strength and weaknesses
and suggest areas which need urgent and appropriate interventions to improve the overall prosperity
level in the city.
1 Can also be expressed in percentages so that values range between 0% and 100%, as used in this report.
2 It’s based on the concept of a round wheel, the urban wheel of prosperity, capable of driving a city to prosperity.
43.3%
58.7%
70.1%
54.1%
33.0%
37.5%
Productivity
Infrastructure
Development
Quality of Life
Equity and
Social
Inclusion
Environmental
Sustainability
Urban
Governance
and
Legislation
10
Analysis of the Productivity Index (PI)
High productivity is associated with prosperity since it is directly linked to high economic growth, good
employment opportunities, high income, access to services and high living standard. The findings in
the table show that the city of Bugaydah has a productivity index of 43.3% and is generally rated as
weak. On the other hand, the city’s economic growth indicators are strong with an average score of
69.7%; this strength in economic growth is associated with fairly high city product per capita and low
dependency rate which imply low pressure on the productive population. These strong factors need to
be strengthened further. Part of the city’s weakness in productivity includes low mean household
income (51.5%), the inability to provide enough employment opportunities (54.6%) to its people and
low spatial distribution (7.5%) of economic benefits of prosperity; which can be attributed to the urban
sprawl which resulted to increased geographical area with sparse footprints of economic activities.
Table 3: Productivity Index (43.3%)
Sub-Dimension Indicator Actual Units Standardized Comments
Economic Growth
(69.7%)
City Product per Capita 25,969.07 USD
(PPP)/Inhab
71.5% Strong
Mean Household Income 26,109.55 USD(PPP) 51.5% M. Weak
Old Age Dependency
Ratio
4.18 %
86.3% V. Strong
Employment (52.8%)
Employment to
Population Ratio
41.55 %
24.8% V. Weak
Informal Employment 6.54 % 100.0% V. Strong
Unemployment Rate 12.10 % 33.5% V. Weak
Economic
Agglomeration (7.5%)
Economic Density 64,568,522 USD
(PPP)/km2
7.5% V. Weak
To progress from weak to strong, Buraydah city should focus more on increasing its economic density
and this will eventually increase employment opportunities and consequently improve its overall
productivity. The city enjoys moderately high household income and low old-age dependency ratio,
these two economic strength indicators together with the completely diminished informal employment
can act as the basis for promoting growth and enable the city to turn around and convert itself into a
strong productive city that is on its path to prosperity.
Figure 6: Productivity Indicators
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Analysis of the Infrastructure Development Index (IDI)
Good infrastructure is needed to support economic productivity, good living standards and high quality
of life in a city. Physical assets and services such as piped clean water, sanitation, electricity, road
network, ICT are essential in supporting the city population, economy, and ensure a better quality of
life. The city of Buraydah has an infrastructure development index of 59%, therefore its rated as
moderately weak; this weakness is due to low scores in social infrastructure (28.8%), ICT (52.1%) and
urban mobility (51.3%). Within these weak sub-dimensions, there are certain areas where the city has
done exceptionally well and should be maintained, such areas include; under ICT, ownership of home
computers is moderately high (68%); under urban mobility, average daily travel time and affordability
of public transport are very good with 100% each. Some of the city’s main sources of strength for
development lies within its good housing infrastructure (80.6%) and street connectivity (80.4%). Most
of the indicators under housing sub-dimension are strong except a very low population density (16.6%)
which is due to verse land area, the rest of the indicators within the housing sub-dimension have scores
ranging between 60% and 100%. The same applies to street connectivity whose indicators are all above
60%. Good street connectivity in the city should be used as a stepping stone to begin promoting walking
and cycling as means of transport in the city, especially in the evenings and during seasons with
favorable weather conditions.
Table 4: Infrastructure Devlopment Index (58.7%)
Sub-Dimension Indicator Actual Units Standardized Comments
Housing Infrastructure
(80.6%)
Access to Electricity 100.00 % 100.0% V. Strong
Access to Improved Sanitation 74.60 % 70.1% Strong
Access to Improved Water 98.60 % 97.2% V. Strong
Access to Improved Shelter 99.90 % 100.0% V. Strong
Population Density 2,486.36 Inhab/Km2 16.6% V. Weak
Sufficient Living Area 97.90 % 100.0% V. Strong
Social Infrastructure (28.8%) Number of Public Libraries 0.18 #/100,000 inhab. 0.0% V. Weak
Physician Density 2.71 #/1,000 inhab. 57.7% M. Weak
ICT (52.1%)
Average Broadband Speed 4.00 Mbps 28.9% V. Weak
Home Computer Access 68.00 % 68.0% M. Strong
Internet Access 59.50 % 59.5% M. Weak
Urban Mobility (51.3%)
Average Daily Travel Time 16.30 minutes 100.0% V. Strong
Affordability of Transport 0.00 % 100.0% V. Strong
Length of Mass Transport Network 0.00 Km/1M Inhab. 0.0% V. Weak
Road Safety (traffic fatalities) 14.00 #/100,000 inhab. 56.7% M. Weak
Use of Public Transport 0.00 % 0.0% V. Weak
Street Connectivity (80.4%)
Intersection Density 115.01 #/km2 100.0% V. Strong
Land Allocated to Streets 25.26 % 64.2% M. Strong
Street Density 15.41 Km/KM2 77.1% Strong
71.5%
51.5%
86.3%
24.8%
100.0%
33.5%
7.5%
City Product per
Capita
Mean Household
Income
Old Age
Dependency
Employment to
Population ratio
Informal
Employment
Unemployment
Rate
Economic Density
Economic Strenght Employment Economic
Agglomeration
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The bar chart below illustrates the extent of achievement in each indicator and the level of balance or
disparity within each sub-dimension as depicted by the concept of the wheel of urban prosperity; it
shows the extent to which the existing configuration of the infrastructure dimension can create a
functional balance for the city to prosper. The varying heights of the bars indicate the levels and
disparities existing between indicators within each sub-dimension. As shown the existing configuration
of the infrastructure dimension cannot propel the city to greater heights of prosperity unless something
is done to improve on the indicators identified as weak, such indicators are population density, number
of public libraries, physician density, internet access, length of mass transport network, traffic fatalities
and use of public transport.
Figure 7: Infrastructure Development Indicators
Analysis of Quality of Life Index (QoLI)
The quality of life may loosely mean happiness and wellbeing of individuals and society, a prosperous
city ensures that its residents have access to adequate basic services and amenities that has direct
positive impact on the wellbeing and happiness of the people. The quality of life dimension, therefore,
measures the level of achievements in the provision of such services. The findings show that the quality
of life index of the city of Buraydah is 70.1% (rated strong), implying that the city has strong factors
that support a good quality of life. The strongest pillar that supports the good quality of life in the city
is safety and security (97.6%); in fact, this is a key ingredient in ensuring stability, peace, and tranquility
in a city as well as a factor for attracting foreign and local investments for economic growth. The
findings further indicate that the health sub-dimension is also strong (73.9%), however, there is high
mortality rate among children under 5 years, at 54.4% (17 deaths of children for every one thousand
children born alive). Since all the other indicators under health are strong with scores ranging between
70% and 99%, the rate of under 5 mortality in the city is a big drawback for the health sector. Education
has a score of 64.4%, the sub-dimension is therefore rated as moderately strong, this is particularly
because it has a combination of strong and weak indicators; the weak ones are (Early Childhood
Education, 33.3% and Net Enrolment in Higher Education, 48.8%) and the strong indicators are
(Literacy Rate, 99.4% and Mean Years of Schooling, 74.3%). This could mean that while the city has
done well in investing in other levels of education resulting to high literacy rate and on average many
years of schooling, there is need to do more investment in educational programmes that promote
education in the early years of childhood. Research has shown that one year of investment into early
childhood education improves the overall human resources quality of nations by a factor of 2.
Access to public spaces is a vital indicator in the integration of the city’s population. In Buraydah this
is important as the indicator for public spaces has a score of 44.7%, which means it is also rated as
weak; However, the city has high green area per capita, therefore the weakness can only be associated
with low accessibility to the available public spaces (green areas).
100.0%
70.1%
97.2% 100.0%
16.6%
100.0%
0.0%
57.7%
28.9%
68.0%
59.5%
100.0% 100.0%
0.0%
56.7%
0.0%
100.0%
64.2%
77.1%
Access to
Electricity
Access to
Improved
Sanitation
Access to
Improved Water
Improved
Shelter
Population
Density
Sufficient
Living Area
Number of
Public Libraries
Physicians
Density
Average
Broadband
Speed
Home
Computer
Access
Internet Access Average Daily
Travel Time
Affordability of
Transport
Length of Mass
Transport
Network
Traffic
Fatalities
Use of Public
Transport
Intersection
Density
Land Allocated
to Streets
Street Density
Housing Infrastructure Social Infrastructure ICT Urban Mobility Street Connectivity
13
Table 5: Quality of Life Index (70.1%)
Sub-Dimension Indicator Actual Units Standardized Comments
Health (73.9%)
Life Expectancy at Birth 73.80 years 71.9% Strong
Eradicate Maternal Mortality 8.05 #/100,000 live births 70.2% Strong
Eradicate Under-5 Mortality 16.51 #/1000 live births 54.3% M. Weak
Vaccination Coverage 99.20 % 99.2% Very Strong
Education (58.6%)
Early Childhood Education 33.27 % 33.3% V. Weak
Net Enrolment in Higher
Education 50.53 % 50.5% Weak
Literacy Rate 99.40 % 99.4% V. Strong
Mean Years of Schooling 10.40 % 74.3% Strong
Safety and Security
(97.6%)
Homicide Rate 1.44 #/100,000 inhab. 95.1% V. Strong
Theft Rate 5.03 #/100,000 inhab. 100.0% V. Strong
Public Space
(44.7%)
Green Area per Capita 12.71 m2 / inhabitant 84.7% V. Strong
Accessibility to Open Public
Space 4.70 % 4.7% V. Weak
Figure 8: Quality of Life Indicators
Compared to the infrastructure dimension, the bars in the chart above shows that quality of life is closer
to providing a functional balance, it is progressing well and only four out of the 12 indicators are rated
as weak; while holding other factors constant the city needs to focus on and improve on the four weaker
indicators to push the QoLI to the strong position.
Analysis of Equity and Social Inclusion Index (ESII)
Cities which are socially inclusive and economically equitable are more likely to be more productive
and have a higher standard of living and quality of life. This dimension measures how cities share the
benefits of prosperity among its inhabitants and how it safeguards the interests of the minority. No city
can claim to be prosperous when a significant segment of its inhabitants live in poverty and deprivation.
Buraydah city has an equity and social inclusion score of 54.1% with a rating of moderately weak, this
71.9% 70.2%
54.3%
99.2%
33.3%
50.5%
99.4%
74.3%
95.1% 100.0%
84.7%
4.7%
Life
Expectancy at
Birth
Reduced
Maternal
Mortality
Reduced
Under-5
Mortality Rate
Vaccination
Coverage
Early
Childhood
Education
Programme
Net enrollment
rate in higher
education
Literacy Rate Mean Years of
Schooling
Reduced
Homicide rate
Reduced Theft
rate
Green area per
capita
Accessibilty to
Open Public
Area
Health Education Safety and Security Public Space
14
implies that the city is not fully inclusive and that the benefits of prosperity are not distributed among
its people in a completely equitable manner. The city nonetheless has many strong indicators of equity
and social inclusion; economic inclusion and gender inclusion in the city are moderately strong with
scores of 66.7% and 68.8% respectively. The high level of gender inclusion in the city can be associated
with high equitable secondary school enrolment rate with 86% and a high number of women in local
government with 91%. Gender inclusion in the city is generally good except that the proportion of
women in the labour force is still too low, this also affects women access to employment opportunities.
To increase economic inclusion the city has managed to reduce poverty level to 2.5% but this is still
not good enough due to the adverse effects of poverty. Youth unemployment in the city is still too high
(33.6%) making the city socially non-inclusive.
Table 6: Equity and Social Inclusion Index (54.1%)
Sub-Dimension Indicator Actual Units Standardized Comments
Economic Inclusion
(66.7%) Poverty Rate 2.47 % 66.7% M. Strong
Social Inclusion
(26.8%)
Slum Households % -
Youth Unemployment 33.60 % 26.8% V. Weak
Gender Inclusion
(68.8%)
Equitable Secondary School
Enrollment 0.86 0 - ∞ 85.8% V. Strong
Women in local government 45.33 % 90.7% V. Strong
Women in the workforce 14.98 % 30.0% V. Weak
Figure 9: Equity and Social Inclusion Indicators
To achieve a higher level of prosperity and the required balance among the indicators of equity and
social inclusion, there is a need to focus on increasing employment opportunities, increase the number
of women in the local government and complete eradication of slum households.
Analysis of Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI)
Prosperous cities should ensure that as they utilize environmental resources in the processes of
production, economic growth, and development, the environment is not depleted and remains healthy
and livable for new generations to come. Generally, the city of Buraydah has done very little to conserve
its environment, it has environmental sustainability index of 29.6%, meaning very weak effort to
conserve the environment. Most of the weaknesses in environmental conservation are associated with
66.7%
26.8%
85.8% 90.7%
30.0%
Reduced Poverty rate Reduced Slum
Household
Youth Unemployment Equitable Secondary
School Enrollment
Women in Local
Government
Women in the work
force
15
lack of renewable sources of energy (0%) and poor solid waste recycling (20.7%). On the other hand,
solid waste collection (92.6%) and wastewater treatment (64.3%) are very good.
Table 7: Environmental Sustainability Index (29.6%)
Sub-Dimension Indicator Actual Units Standardized Comments
Water and Energy
(0.0%)
Share of renewable energy
consumption
0.00 ug/m3
0.0% V. Weak
Waste Management
(59.2%)
Solid Waste Collection 92.60 % 92.6% V. Strong
Solid waste recycling share 10.34 % 20.7% V. Weak
Waste water treatment 84.72 % 84.72% V. Strong
The only undoing for the city is its inability to establish proper solid waste recycling system; this
exposes the environment to the risk of growing landfills which will soon cause lots of environmental
pollution. The city should begin to diversify its sources of energy to include renewable sources such as
the sun and wind power.
Figure 10: Environmental Sustainability Indicators
Analysis of Legislation and Governance Index (LGI)
The five dimensions of prosperity can only reach their full potential in an environment with appropriate
legislation and good governance; where instruments of power, urban planning, laws, regulations, and
institutional frameworks, creates conditions for the control and effective functioning of all the other
dimensions of prosperity. In governance and legislation, the city is rated very weak with a score of
37.5%. The data available for legislation and governance further shows that the municipal finance sub-
dimension has a score of 46.7%, an indication of weak legislation and governance in matters relating
to municipal finance. Participation and accountability is even weaker at 28.3%.
Table 8: Legislation and Governance Index (37.5%)
0.0%
92.6%
20.7%
84.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Share of renewable
energy consumption
Solid Waste Collection Solid waste recyling
share
Waste water treatment
Water and Energy Waste Management
16
Sub-Dimension Indicator Actual Units Standardized Comments
Participation and Accountability
(28.3%) Voter turnout
28.30 %
28.3% V. Weak
Municipal Finance (46.7%)
Own revenue collection 6.10 % 6.1% V. Weak
Days to start a business 6.00 Days 76.3% Strong
Local expenditure
efficiency
57.80 %
57.8% Weak
Figure 11: Legislation and Governance Indicators
To achieve higher levels of urban governance and legislation, the city should focus on increasing public
participation and accountability through voter registration, increase revenue collection and ensure high
efficiency in local expenditures.
SWOT Analysis based on City Prosperity Index
This section attempts to analyze the findings of the CPI and use it to identify areas of Strength,
Weaknesses or challenges, Opportunities for growth and possible Threats that the city may have so that
appropriate recommendations and actions can be designed.
Table 9: SWOT Analysis base on City Prosperity Index
STRENGTH WEAKNESSES
1. Good economic growth fundamentals such as high economic productivity, high household income,
low old-age dependency ratio.
2. High literacy rate: the youth and women have untapped potential to contribute allot to economic
growth. There is allot of unutilized skilled
manpower (human capital), especially among
women.
3. There is good safety and security and political stability which provide a conducive environment
for growth and development.
4. There is good healthcare provision in the city: a healthy population is productive, happy and
peaceful.
1. Low economic density- possibly due to many undeveloped lands: re-examine and establish the need for increased
densification of economic or commercial activities within the
commercial, industrial and even residential areas in the city.
2. Use of public transport is very low and there is over- dependence on private cars for transport even for short
distances, not good for the environment and lack of physical
activity is not good for health.
3. Low internet access, average bandwidth speed where there is large ownership of home computers.
4. Generally, housing infrastructure is good but there is a problem with access to sanitation facilities such as access to the
sewerage system.
5. Public participation and accountability, particularly voter turnout in local elections.
6. Own revenue collection should be addressed to make cities self-reliant.
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
1. High green area per capita and low accessibility mean there are a lot of green area that can be made
accessible to the public.
2. High street intersection density and street density which should encourage alternative means of
1. High investment is required to meet the needs of the rapidly
growing population.
28.3% 6.1%
76.3%
57.8%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
100%
Voter Turnout Own revenue
collection
Days to Start a
Business
Local Expenditure
Efficiency
Participation and
Accountability
Municipal Finance
17
transport such as walking and cycling especially
early morning and evening.
3. Wide access /ownership of home computers is a good opportunity to increase internet
access/bandwidth and encourage more usage.
4. High productivity, good economic fundamentals, good safety & security and political stability in the
city provide a conducive environment for attracting
foreign investments. Utilised to increase
employment for the youth.
Local Urban Observatory
Introduction
Global Urban Observatory Network (GUO-Net) is a worldwide information and capacity-building network
established by the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) to help implement the New
Urban Agenda at the national and local levels. The GUO-NET consists of national and city-level institutions
that function as National and Local Urban Observatories.
The purpose of GUO-Net is to support governments, local authorities and civil society:
• To improve the collection, management, analysis and use of information in formulating more effective urban policies;
• To improve information flows between all levels for better urban decision-making;
• To stimulate broad-based consultative processes to help identify and integrate urban information needs;
• To provide information and analyses to all stakeholders for more effective participation in urban decision- making;
• To share information, knowledge, and expertise using modern information and communication technology (ICT);
• To create a global network of local, national and regional platforms for sharing information about the implementation of the New Urban Agenda;
• To share some tools and benefits provided by the GUO network;
• Training on using the urban indicator toolkit for data collection and analysis;
• Training on how to use the results of the urban indicators data for fundraising activities;
• Conferences of the network members for information exchange and city-to-city networking;
• Access to internet resources available at UN-Habitat’s website including urban indicators databases and Urban Info system;
• Data used for evaluations done for the World Cities Report published biannually by UN-Habitat.
UN-HABITAT achieves these objectives through a global network of local, national and regional urban
observatories and through partner institutions that provide training and other capacity-building expertise.
The UN-Habitat and MOMRA have previously established Local Urban Observatories in the 17 cities covered
by the FSCP. A rapid survey conducted by UN-Habitat-KSA in June 2015 targeting the 17 LUO/cities, found
out that only 15 LUOs existed. The findings also showed that 88% of Local Urban Observatories are under
Municipal Departments while 12% are under Authority for Development within Municipality. It also revealed
that 71% of the Local Urban Observatories were active while the operations of 23% of them were suspended
due to unaccomplished staff/contractual arrangements.
Some of the data the Local Urban Observatories are required to collect in collaboration with the Municipals are
GIS-related, so there is need to have a collaborative work relations between the LUOs and the GIS departments
within the Municipalities. The survey revealed that in terms of connections with the GIS departments, 59% of
the LUOs have work relations with the GIS department while 18% do not. There was evidence that 71% of the
LUOs have GIS data while 6% do not have.
Buraydah – Local Urban Observatory.
18
The Local Urban Observatory of Buraidah was established in 2010 (5 years) as a municipal department
located in the municipality to be responsible for developing tools, collecting and analyzing urban
indicators at the city level. In addition, the LUO should promote the use of urban data in planning and
policy-making at the local and national level and participate in addressing urban challenges resulting
from urban development and population growth. The LUO should, after analysis, publish or
determinate information to strengthen transparency.
Structure of the Local Urban Observatory
Buraydah LUO has a total of eight employees, of which 7 are Non-Saudi Consultants (one of which
acts as the technical manager), all are provided by a private consulting firm contracted to provide
technical management of the LUO. The contract with the consulting firm has been running for more
than 36 months now.
Performance of Local Urban Observatory
Buraydah LUO has produced 4 rounds of urban indicators and is now working on producing the 5th
round of indicators, so far they have produced a total of 99 urban indicators. This puts Buraydah as the
8th best performing LUO after Makkah with 300 urban indicators, others are Taif (221), Abha (140),
Skaka (137), Damman (134), Jeddah (125) and Madinah (113). In addition to producing urban
indicators, LUOs are also required to assist in the collection and production of CPI indicators.
According to a survey conducted by UN-Habitat in June 2015, Buraydah had produced a total of 36
CPI indicators, by June 2016 the observatory had submitted 59 indicators out of the 72, and this placed
it as second best performing LUO among the 17 cities with Abha leading with 60 indicators. One survey
has been conducted for producing the spatial indicators of the city of Buraydah.
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