Spatial Differences of Rich and Poor Neighbourhood in Jeddah, Saudi Essay

Spatial Differences of Rich and Poor Neighbourhood in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Essay Example This paper explores the reason for this gap by studying poor and the posh areas in the modern city Jeddah located in the west coast of Saudi Arabia. The study analyzes six different factors based on birth rate, income rate, employment facility, education access, healthcare facilities and the crime rate in two prominent areas of the Jeddah city, the Al-Naeem district and the Al-Sharafiyah district. The paper examines how these various hypotheses affects the living condition of the poor and the rich people in these areas using the data collected through an elaborate survey in both the districts. The outcome of the research states there is relatively little difference between the life style of the rich and the poor. Both have nearly equal access to the education and employment. The chances for the poor people to earn more are slightly less than the rich owing to their rich people’s high education standard. The birth rate in both the poor and the rich families are more or less similar with slight variations in the number of children and the earning elders. But, the prevalence of crime rate is much higher in the poor neighbourhoods than the rich people’s area. Similarly, advanced healthcare facilities are mostly limited to the rich people. Introduction Just like many other Saudi Arabian cities, Jeddah too is mostly deserted. The fast growing city is located on the border of the Red Sea. The Al-Sarawat Mountains serve as a natural fortification for the city in the eastern side. The Gulf of Salman present on the northern side of the city acts as a great port. The cities location makes it a gateway for Mecca and Medina, the Jerusalem of the Islamists. The influx of tourists from international communities was crucial in the development of this multicultural city1. Jeddah is located on Tahoma coastal plain that is about 75 kilometres west of Mecca2. The region earned natural environmental distinction with a wide desert, eroded plateau at the central region, and the weather is dry and hot, although winter brings its cold season3. The climate in the city is usually quite high ranging up to 43 Â °C (109 Â °F) in the summers. Dust storms and bush fires are quite common. Jeddah is situated at the heart of the Middle East. It can be reached easily through flight from any North African and other Middles East country’s capital within a couple of hours. It is a major port of Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is considered as the next major commercial city in Saudi Arabia after Dubai. It is quite westernized and has all the modern facilities suitable for a metropolitan city. Jeddah's major shopping area Tahlia Street features everything from Gucci to Armani products along with their traditional jewelleries. Coined as the bride of the Red Sea, Jeddah stretched in a spatial area of 1,320 km24. Objective of the Study The main objective of the study is to spot out whether there is a significant gap between the life of the rich and the poor in the Saudi Arabia. The study selects the historical city of Jeddah as sample and explores the two districts in it, the economically backward Al-Sharafiyah and the posh Al-Naeem area. The main question considered for research is; How different is the life of the people living the economically ba ckward regions like Al-Sharafiyah different from the ones living in flourishing areas like Al-Naeem. The study compares the various aspects of the life of the poor and the rich through six different hypotheses listed below. Hypothesis 1: The birth rate and the number of family members in the Al-Sharafiyah district influence the fertility of the region. Justification: Al-Naeem has controlled infant birth rate and high earning adult’s rate in each family. On the other hand Al-Sharafiyah has more number of small children and controlled number of bread