LOC09:55
06:55 GMT
Governor of Makkah Prince Khalid Al-Faisal inaugurates the activities of the 13th Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF), themed "Housing and population growth".
(with photos)
JEDDAH, March 17 (KUNA) -- Governor of Makkah Prince Khalid Al-Faisal
inaugurated here on Saturday the activities of the 13th Jeddah Economic Forum
(JEF), themed "Housing and population growth".
More than 3,000 local, Arab, and international economic experts specialized
in city planning and urban and population growth management are attending the
three-day forum.
In his opening speech, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal said Saudi citizens are
living a golden age of development and progress in their country.
He expressed hope of setting a housing strategy in Saudi Arabia, and that
the forum would shed light on opportunities and means for the private sector
to engage more actively in the development boom in the country.
For his part, Chairman of Jeddah Chamber and Head of JEF Saleh Kamel
stressed the housing problem is not unique to Saudi Arabia, but is rather a
global concern amid increasing population growth rates. This is a constant
concern around the world, not a temporary issue, he stressed.
Kamel addressed a number of factors which could cause the housing problem
in his country, starting with poor planning and inadequate utilization of
resources, and excluding inadequacy of resources as the real cause for the
problem.
Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning statistics indicate that 60 percent
of the total Saudi population has access to one form of housing or the other,
Kamel said. This percentage does not mean the country is not facing a
situation, but that it is dealing with a "problem" rather than "crisis", Kamel
affirmed.
Vertical housing mode is becoming more acceptable in Saudi due to a number
of factors including the high cost of other housing options, and shortage of
land in the heart of the city, Kamel also added, which means one less factor
to worry about when planning.(end)
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