Saturday, 23rd of October marked the closing ceremony of the Sustainable Housing Concept Plan Initiative (SHCP) - Housing Design Studio. The SHCP sought to engage university students, NGOs, and local experts in urban design projects. UNDP and UN-Habitat partnered with the Ministry of Municipal Rural Affairs and Housing (MoMRAH) Deputyship of Developmental Housing together with NGOs and AlFaisal University and Dar Al Uloom University to collaborate on this Housing Design Studio.

The SHCP aims to develop new housing designs that address quality of life and beneficiary housing needs by engaging youth, women, and local experts through an inclusive participatory planning process. In addition, the project aims to create housing designs that integrate development housing in the city by incorporating sustainable mobility concepts, such as non-motorized transport and adopting hot climate mitigation designs in public spaces.

UNDP Resident Representative, Dr. Adam Bouloukos, along with other UN and Government executives, congratulated the students on their participation and accomplishment. Dr. Bouloukos mentioned in his speech that

“As we look specifically at affordable housing, it is not the sole responsibility of the government. For sustainability to be achieved, the private sector, as well as NGOs, will have to be strong players on the scene. The fact remains that ensuring a profitable project while at the same time undertaking a social responsibility is a balancing act …This Sustainable Housing Concept Plan is inspiring and will lead to a better quality of life for residents.”

The Guest of Honor, Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN habitat, and Undersecretary-General of the United Nations commented.

“Shared responsibility and a conducive ecosystem for public-private-people partnerships are also critical to provide inclusive and affordable ‘housing for all” - Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) are supporting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Housing Developmental Housing and Community Engagement Deputyship as a part of the national efforts to improve the housing sector in Saudi Arabia, and in realizing the Housing Vision and Saudi Vision 2030.