Slums are a significant global problem faced by most countries, especially developing ones. These areas lack the provision of essential services, deteriorating infrastructure, and high crime rates, which generally make slums characterized by a low quality of life. These areas can be seen on the outskirts of cities, which consist of unplanned buildings, and for the most part, are unsafe.
In Saudi Arabia, slums can be seen in many cities, and conceivably the most densely populated slums are found in Mecca city, where they cover nearly half of the total urban area. The demographic characteristics of these areas have been identified as mostly consisting of immigrants. Recently, the Saudi Arabia government, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has tended to develop slum areas. Indeed, the southern neighbourhoods of Jeddah have been emptied and cleared of building residue, which will be the focus of this research paper.
Built-up areas in southern neighbourhoods of Jeddah city have increased with total change from 2000 to 2020 by up to 40% (7.13 km2). From 2020 to 2022, a dramatic decrease has been noted in built-up areas of 28.4 % (8.01 km2), while undeveloped areas increased by about 20.3 km2. This decrease in built-up areas has been seen clearly in slum areas, which confirms the progress of the redevelopment project toward the right path.