Residents of AlUla get a glimpse of new masterplan designed to transform the quality of life and boost employment prospects in the town

Residents of AlUla, a formerly remote town in western Saudi Arabia's mountainous Madinah region that is currently at the epicentre of one of the most ambitious tourism projects in the Kingdom, have been given a sneak peek at a new masterplan intended to improve the town's employment opportunities and quality of life.

AlUla is a town divided in two by geography that is spread out across ten kilometres in a slender valley bordered by mountains. It is located about 20 kilometres to the south of Hegra, the capital of the Nabataean civilization, which was designated as Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. Over 130 Nabataean tombs that are carved out of the rocks around the old lost city are among the many cultural treasures in the region that are protected and safeguarded by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), which was founded in 2017.

It was tasked with creating a strategy to transform the entire region sensitively and sustainably, "reaffirming it as one of the country's most important archaeological and cultural destinations and preparing it to welcome visitors from around the world," at the same time. The RCU has always prioritised the needs and interests of the local community as part of this goal, and the most recent example of this dedication is the new Path to Prosperity masterplan, which was presented to locals this month at an exhibition in the town's Alfareed shopping centre.

The topography naturally splits the town in half, and AlUla Central and AlUla South are intended to play distinct roles in the master plan. The initial phase of development will take place in AlUla South, which will include a variety of commercial spaces, including shops, offices, restaurants, and entertainment, and serve as the new regional capital and centre of county government.

AlUla Central will have better open spaces, healthcare and educational facilities, and be "a thriving centre and a meeting place for visitors and residents alike." The project, which is intended to revitalise AlUla for the benefit of its quickly growing populace, is reexamining every facet of urban life and serving as a guide for the expanded use of land for housing, new public services, entertainment, leisure, and cultural institutions in neighbourhoods that are specifically designed for them.