Abstract
This paper sets out to discuss the urban observatories (UO) in Saudi cities. It examines the use of urban observatories as an instrument to help decision makers in setting urban policies and provision of urban services. The main aim is to evaluate urban observatories in the Kingdom after well over a decade of use. To collect the necessary data, open ended questionnaire interviews were used together with published reports emanating from the urban observatories themselves. The study revealed that the reasons behind the initial success of UO were mainly due to the political support from the highest authority in the city. Political support would lead other city departments to fully and effectively cooperate with the UO and provide updated, reliable and valid data. As a result of generous financial support, the UO were able to recruit specialized experts and qualified personnel who benefit from regular training, international meetings and partnerships with different UO globally. The reasons of the downturn of the UO, however, may be traced to lack of political support and sufficient budgets which affected the staffing with the required experts and technicians. The recession of political support has led many city departments and data providers to show some reluctance to supply the UO information center with regular data update. Confronted with such an awkward situation, many UO relied for their work and management on singing contracts with private firms. Instead of being part of the solution, these firms were part of the problem themselves. They run the UO for the period of the contract. When the contract is over, the UO is practically shut down. Even the website will no longer be in use. The local staff remain untrained. Finally, some recommendations were provided.