A New Vision for Home: Housing as a Foundation for Resilience and Dignity
At the recent 13th World Urban Forum in Baku, a significant shift unfolded in how leaders from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) approach the fundamental human need for shelter. Moving beyond traditional metrics of units built and capital spent, the dialogue centered on a more profound understanding: that housing is not merely infrastructure, but the very bedrock of human dignity, social stability, and long-term resilience. Officials and philanthropic leaders from Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Morocco outlined a transformative vision where housing policy is inextricably linked to economic empowerment, climate adaptation, and inclusive urban development, all while grappling with the harsh realities of conflict and displacement. This marked a pivotal moment, recognizing that a home is more than four walls and a roof—it is a platform for security, opportunity, and community belonging.
A powerful advocate for this nuanced approach was Lamia bint Majid Al Saud, Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, who firmly rejected the notion of universal, copy-paste solutions. She emphasized that effective housing strategies must be deeply rooted in local data, culture, and environmental realities. “We don’t look at it as a problem… it is about understanding communities and being creative with solutions,” she stated, championing a philosophy of contextual adaptation over one-size-fits-all models. Illustrating this, she pointed to projects in Africa where climate-resilient homes were constructed using locally-sourced, natural materials, simultaneously training community members in building trades—thus creating jobs while addressing shelter needs. This integrated thinking extends to Saudi Arabia itself, where initiatives increasingly weave housing assistance together with economic empowerment, particularly for women, by pairing housing support with vehicles and training for ride-hailing platform employment.
The urgent and devastating dimension of housing crisis was brought into sharp focus by Sami Hijawi, Minister of Local Government of Palestine. His intervention shifted the discussion to the immense challenge of reconstruction amidst ongoing conflict, detailing the widespread destruction of homes and urban infrastructure in Gaza. “The Palestinian people decided to stay on their land,” Hijawi declared, framing the rebuilding effort as an act of steadfast resilience and a fundamental right. He outlined a daunting path forward, reliant on international cooperation, development banks, and public-private partnerships to finance recovery, while also highlighting the war’s catastrophic impact on employment. For Palestinian representatives, the forum served as both a technical platform for urban planning and a crucial diplomatic stage to rally global support for a recovery that must address immediate humanitarian shelter needs and foster long-term social stability.
In contrast, Morocco presented a comprehensive, state-led model of proactive urban transformation. Secretary of State for Housing Adib Benbrahim detailed a multi-decade strategy, championed by King Mohammed VI, that treats housing as a central pillar of national social policy. This ambitious approach simultaneously tackles slum eradication, provides affordable housing for the middle class, and drives urban renewal. The numbers are striking: over 720,000 housing units delivered via public-private partnerships and more than 325,000 people resettled from slums since 2004. Notably, Morocco is evolving its model further in 2024 by shifting housing subsidies directly to citizens rather than developers, a move designed to empower families with choice, encourage social diversity in neighborhoods, and make the market more responsive to people’s needs.
Underpinning all these national narratives was a shared, emerging consensus: the future of urban living in the MENA region depends on seeing housing as part of a wider social and economic ecosystem. It is no longer a standalone sector. Morocco’s parallel investments in schools, clinics, and infrastructure in renewed neighborhoods exemplify this. Saudi Arabia’s link between housing and gig-economy jobs underscores it. The discussion inherently recognized that a home disconnected from livelihoods, services, and community bonds is incomplete. This holistic view is essential for building cities that are not only physically robust but also socially cohesive and economically vibrant, capable of withstanding shocks from climate change to economic fluctuation.
Ultimately, the dialogues at WUF13 painted a picture of a region at a crossroads, redefining success in housing from quantitative delivery to qualitative impact. From the granular, community-centric philanthropy highlighted by Alwaleed, to the massive state-led programmes of Morocco, and the urgent, solidarity-based reconstruction called for by Palestine, a common thread emerged. The goal is to create places where people can live with security, autonomy, and hope. This human-centered paradigm—prioritizing dignity, resilience, and inclusion—offers a more sustainable and just blueprint for the future, acknowledging that the right home can be the first step toward a better life and a stronger society. The forum made clear that in the MENA region, the house is being reimagined as a home, and the community as the foundation of the city itself.
