Residential communities in the Kingdom are witnessing a great development under Vision 2030, which created a homogeneity among the Kingdom's population at different social, cultural and material levels, as the vision realized the importance of not having any differences between citizens, and the beginning was from residential communities, as well as removing the differences that existed between citizens and expatriates, especially from Western nationalities.
Residential communities in the Kingdom are witnessing a great development. <When the vision set a goal of increasing the ownership rate among citizens to 70% by 2030, it only talked about increasing housing production, with different price values, between a residential apartment starting at 250,000 riyals, a future house, a small villa and a large villa that costs several million riyals, and placed all these products next to each other In a move to eliminate any differences between Saudi families, under any classifications, which often result in unacceptable social negatives, the most serious of which is deepening the differences between residential communities, which produce rich and upscale communities whose members enjoy high welfare, and poor and destitute ones, whose members engage in committing crimes and violating laws.
I remember at one time, Saudi Aramco developed a closed residential community, or the so-called “compound”, and allocated it to its Western employees, thus isolating them from the rest of the citizens, considering that they have different behaviors and nature in living and appearance, different from the nationals, and these complexes provided high luxury, and succeeded in creating a psychological wall between the citizen and the expatriate employee.
One of the most dangerous factors is the deepening of the differences between residential communities, which produce rich and sophisticated societies whose members enjoy high luxury, while others are poor and destitute, whose members engage in committing crimes and breaking the laws. When King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz - may God have mercy on him - directed the construction of 500,000 housing units and allocated 25 billion riyals, there were directions - at the time - to build neighborhoods for low-income families, meaning owners of small or medium apartments that are cheap, and other neighborhoods for owners of expensive villas, and as much as some welcomed this trend, there were many who warned against it, saying that it would create a large and dangerous disparity between the layers of society.
This scene invites us not to lose sight of the psychological impact resulting from the form of residential communities, and how they are managed, this effect is very strong, which sends a strong feeling to the members of popular or poor residential complexes that they are rejected and unwanted, so they were “thrown” in these communities, away from wealthy communities that enjoy all services, so they feel with them that they are the focus of everyone's attention and welcome wherever they go.
While some welcomed this trend, there are many who warned against it, and said that it would create a large and dangerous disparity between the classes of society. Vision 2030, in its general policy of housing provision, removed all these differences and achieved complete equality between everyone in residential communities, by obtaining the same services and attention without distinction, and we will not go far, and in the Kingdom, old residential neighborhoods, the government and concerned authorities are working to reorganize them, and soon they will turn into modern neighborhoods that provide all means of safety, comfort and all services.
What came with Vision 2030 in its general policy of housing provision, removed all these differences and achieved complete equality between everyone in residential communities, by obtaining the same services and attention without distinction, and we will not go far.
