FORUM OBJECTIVES

• The forum aims at adopting a broad dialogue with the participation of all relevant authorities (governmental sector, private sector, community organizations and regional and international universities and institutions) on the role of urban planning and wise management in the development of prosperous and sustainable cities within the framework of the modern Ministry strategy and view and in light of the international decisions on post-2015 sustainable development and the decisions of 2015 World Climate Summit in Paris.
   
• The forum aims as well at discussing the role of good urban planning and wise urban/municipal management in addressing the challenges faced by Saudi cities and is held after nearly half a century of practice of various planning methods which allowed Saudi cities achieve great qualitative leaps, after experiencing different challenges resulting from unbalanced urban planning and management of land development outside the framework of proper planning.

FORUM TOPICS

• The Forum will touch on the main issues and developments related to urban planning and cities management and will suggest planning and management approaches and methodologies achieving a better urban, sustainable and prosperous future for the Saudi cities, through a series of thirteen major and parallel working sessions with keynote speakers, including national and international development speakers in addition to local, regional and international experts and professionals from the different sectors, all sharing their scientific and practical experiences.
   
• The Forum adopts as well the approach of broad participation of national, governmental, academic, civil and international institutions in its sessions, which will include presentations on local and international experiences, broad national and regional dialogue sessions and other dialogue sessions concerning the role of youth and women in urban planning, in addition to specialized training workshops organized by international and local partners.
   
• This conference will also contribute to the enhancement of the role of practitioners, professionals and academics in order to develop an urban planning and sustainable cities development approach in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by providing a platform for the dialogue and discussion on the following themes:

1. Modern trends in urban planning
2. Urban shifts for sustainable urbanization
3. Specialists dialogue: models of connected and integrated cities
4. Secretaries dialogue: sustainable cities planning and management
5. Efficient coordination of the provision of municipal services between the involved sectors
6. Modernization of institutions and legislations to improve the quality of services and works in cities
7. Role of partners in the development of sustainable cities (youth, women, private sector and municipal councils) 
8. Capacity building and skills development of workers in the field of urban planning.