When a sensible citizen chooses to move to an apartment no larger than half the size of the villa they previously lived in, despite being able to afford a larger villa, there must be a reason behind it. This is especially true given the growing demand for beautiful apartments with stunning views, even as the government delays enacting a law to regulate the relationship between apartment owners.
Meanwhile, the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) continues to insist on providing citizens with villas, despite the system’s many drawbacks, its high costs, and the heavy burden it places on public services and infrastructure. Horizontal urban sprawl is destructive to the environment and depletes the country’s resources, amounting to a crime against the nation and its citizens. More than 30,000 houses are currently under construction in Al-Mutlaa and other areas.
An agreement is also in place to build 55,000 villas, likely in partnership with international developers, on an area of 80 to 110 square kilometers in Al-Sabriya. In Khairan, a project is ongoing that includes 60,000 residential units on an area of 135 square kilometers. Also, the Nawaf Al- Ahmad City project plans to build 50,000 homes on 125,000 square kilometers. These massive projects represent a significant expansion that could strain existing housing and create financial challenges for many homeowners in the future due to increased borrowing to purchase and furnish their homes.
Although some of these projects include apartment buildings, their proportion in each project is small. Moreover, the specifications and finishes of these apartments are modest, offering minimal attractive views and lacking premium amenities.
A quick comparison between apartment and villa housing reveals the following: The apartment system offers better land utilization, allowing for the construction of a larger number of residential units. It also provides shaded basement parking. Service costs are significantly lower, maintenance costs are moderate, and the need for a car is minimal due to the abundance of easily accessible services within the complex.
Apartments also encourage greater interaction and harmony among neighbors, with amenities such as sports clubs, swimming pools, children’s playgrounds, event halls, and more located nearby. I hope that PAHW officials will visit the Hessa Al-Mubarak project and create similar government models instead of building over 200,000 homes in the next ten years at exorbitant costs, which I consider a serious disservice to the nation and its citizens.
By Ahmad alsarraf
email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
