Urban sustainability is a key priority for Saudi Arabia. Around 85 percent of the nation’s population lives in a city, making it one of the top 50 most urbanized countries in the world.

Addressing urban sustainability in a changing climate is a key priority for environmental scientist Sami G. Al-Ghamdi, who joined KAUST’s Climate and Livability Initiative in November 2022.

Al-Ghamdi applies a multidisciplinary lens to chart and model the complexity of cities and how they use resources, with the goal of making them sustainable for people and the planet.

The sustainability and resiliency assessments of Al-Ghamdi’s research supports Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030, particularly for the country’s urban gigaprojects such as NEOM. A revolutionary zero-carbon zone under construction in the northwest of the country, NEOM includes an industrial complex, a trade hub, several resorts and “The Line,” a linear city that will eventually support more than nine million residents.

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