Data and AI-driven urban planning: Charting the new future of Saudi Arabia

Introduction

 Urban planning is now at a pivotal juncture, evolving from traditional practices to embrace the digital revolution. The emergence of "Data Powered Urban Planning" marks a transformative shift towards leveraging vast arrays of digital information to inform, optimise, and revolutionise the development and management of urban environments. This approach fundamentally rethinks how cities are conceptualised, designed, and inhabited. At the heart of this transformation is the integration of data analytics, enabling city planners and policymakers to make informed decisions, predict urban growth patterns, and efficiently allocate resources, thereby fostering sustainable, resilient, and livable cities for future generations.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with its Vision 2030, stands at the forefront of this urban revolution. Vision 2030's ambitious agenda for economic diversification, sustainability, and technological innovation is epitomised in the giga and mega projects, such as NEOM, Qiddiya and the Red Sea Project. These initiatives are not just redefining the landscape of the Kingdom but also setting a new global standard for the cities of the future. Most of them are cognitive cities built from the ground up, encapsulating the essence of data-driven urbanism. With a commitment to sustainability, innovation, and digitalisation, the Kingdom is poised to become a living lab for data-powered urban planning, offering insights and lessons for the global community on leveraging technology to create environments that enhance human health, happiness, and well-being.

This thought leadership aims to delve into the broader ecosystem of urban planning, the pivotal role of data and analytics in reshaping this landscape, and how Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and its giga projects are harnessing and can further harness the power of data to realise their visionary objectives. Through an exploration of global case studies, specific use cases and a proposed framework for approaching data-powered urban planning, this document will illuminate the path forward for creating smart, sustainable cities that cater to the needs and aspirations of their inhabitants in the digital age.