Cityquest-KAEC forum to bring top urban planners together to revolutionize Saudi cities

Saudi city planners are coming together with sustainability and economic experts next week at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) for the third Cityquest-KAEC Forum. The forum aims to bring top experts under one roof to help guide the sustainable development of Saudi Arabia’s cities -- especially the KAEC megaproject that is intended to become a major regional business and lifestyle hub.

The forum is held in collaboration between KAEC and the New Cities Foundation. The event is held under the patronage of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of the Mecca region.

This year’s Cityquest-KAEC is entitled "Building Value in New Cities" and will be held Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, Dec. 8 and 9. The forum is slated to begin at Bay La Sun Hotel & Marina in KAEC.

The discussions of this year’s forum focus on adding value to new cities through focused urban development projects, which conference organizers call “an essential dimension for the success of new cities.”

Another key topic will be the creation of a solid investment environment that will draw businesses and produce profits. That, in turn, contributes to other goals like creating new job opportunities for Saudi nationals.

Other topics include developing an “aspirational lifestyle for residents,” which applies the marketing strategy of producing limited amounts of luxury items to create scarcity and higher demand.

The conference will bring more than 20 new city chief executives from around the kingdom and the world to exchange views and discuss the latest developments in various relevant sectors.