The Restoration of the Cities’ Water Waterfront after the COVID-19 Pandemic, Case of Al Khobar City, Saudi Arabia
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: The residents of coastal cities have a strong relationship with the waterfront, which people of different ages, types, levels of awareness, and cultural backgrounds use. People of different cultures tend to use these open spaces with various responses. They consider it a lung for them, and practice most of their entertainment and social events with different attitudes. Therefore, municipalities spend a large budget on designing, implementing, and developing these areas. However, sadly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the local authorities in many cities decided to shut down the city, including the waterfront area. Al Khobar city, Saudi Arabia, was one of the cities had that had a broad lockdown. Consequently, the use of open spaces became dangerous, and municipalities placed many restrictions on using such spaces to control the spread of COVID-19. Residents had no opportunity to use them for exercise, sports, social activities, or even for enjoying the fresh air, negatively influencing their lives at different levels. This research discusses this problem and examines the restoration of the waterfront after the authorities announced a decrease in the status of the hazards of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will consider returning safely to using the waterfront and allowing it to be accessible to the public, like before the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it will suggest recommendations for the future use of the waterfront in a secure way to prevent the spread of such viruses.
Source: Sustainability
DOI: 10.3390/su142214775
Author: Dalia H. Eldardiry
Institution: Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
Language: English
Subfield: Urban Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,094
OpenAlex ID: W4308875271