THE CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS FOR SAUDI ARABIAN EDUCATED URBAN PLANNERS--AN UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE CURRICULUM DESIGN FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA

The most ambitious peacetime development ever attempted in Saudi Arabian history is under way as the Saudis experience rapid transformation of their economic, social, cultural and technological establishment. Guided by sweeping development plans, the Saudi Government is making monumental strides in the development of education, particularly in the creation of human resources. The allocation of funds in this area for the First Development Plan (1970-75) was 18.1 percent; for the Second Development Plan, (1975-80) which spent ;The purpose of this study is to develop comprehensive graduate and undergraduate curriculums in planning and in urban studies at the University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. This program will enable students to contribute their professional knowledge, skills, and talents to the university, the community, the country, and the Arab world as a whole.;After an introduction providing historical perspective of educational development in Saudi Arabia, a survey of existing literature creates an academic context for this study and examines ideas on urban planning and urbanization in Saudi Arabia in particular and in the Arab world in general. A fourth chapter establishes guiding principles for development of the curriculum and outlines specific courses. In developing the Urban and Regional Planning Program, emphasis was given to Islamic values and religion; courses developed had to be compatible with Islamic principles and teach local existing conditions and environment. By the same token, the curriculum should fulfill the dramatic social, economic and cultural demands placed on it by rapid development, urbanization, and the adaptation of modern technological innovations to Saudi Arabian needs.;The undergraduate program will offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Studies; the graduate program will offer a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree. The Graduate program will offer specialization in the following areas: Economic Planning, Regional Planning, Rural Development, Social Planning, Urban Planning, Environmental Planning, Health Planning and Public Administration.;In spite of impressive government accomplishments in education, there is no urban planning curriculum in any of the Saudi universities to provide professional planners with the broad backgrounds necessary to fill the special needs of their rapidly developing country. The entire Arab world suffers from this lack of Arab-educated planners familiar with the religious, cultural, social and environmental demands of Islamic countries.;The Urban and Regional Planning Program will be offered through the School of Urban and Regional Planning and will be financed through government appropriation. Chapter Six outlines the department's basic organization. A concluding seventh chapter presents several recommendations for successful implementation of the program. The aim of the program is to produce scholars and planners whose intellectual training and emotional development are geared toward achieving a synthesis of Islamic values and modern scientific and technological progress.