Cities worldwide face crises like natural disasters, climate change, and infrastructure vulnerabilities, making urban resilience a critical priority. In Saudi Arabia, resilience strategies are being integrated into urban development, including Jeddah, which faces challenges such as flood risks and rapid urbanization. This study develops a framework to assess Jeddah’s resilience, aligning with global initiatives like the SDGs and Saudi Vision 2030. Benchmarking against cities like Barcelona, Tokyo, and Dubai highlights adaptable strategies for Jeddah. The findings offer insights to enhance urban resilience, support sustainable urbanization, and inform policies for Jeddah and other cities globally.

The selection of a strategic site for constructing a space center and spacecraft launch station is essential for advancing Saudi Arabia’s space exploration capabilities. A well-planned location ensures operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability. This study aims to identify an optimal site that meets international engineering practices by evaluating environmental conditions, construction feasibility, transportation accessibility, security measures, and sustainability. Three sites were shortlisted for comparison: Jabal Hassan Island, Abo Ali Island, and Mastura Village. A multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework was applied to ensure a structured and objective assessment. The methodology involved geospatial data analysis, environmental assessments, soil investigations, and transportation analysis. Satellite imagery examined land stability, while climate reports provided insight into weather conditions. Geotechnical studies and transportation networks were evaluated for accessibility. Security measures were analyzed based on site remoteness, natural barriers, and risk factors. The evaluation applied weighted criteria, assigning 30% each to environmental conditions and construction feasibility and 20% each to accessibility, transportation, and security measures. The results showed that Mastura Village achieved the highest score of 90.7, followed by Jabal Hassan Island at 68.3 and Abo Ali Island at 61.3. The findings align with international benchmarks and provide a solid foundation for future aerospace development in Saudi Arabia.

By 2050, the global urban population is projected to exceed 70%, necessitating substantial infrastructure upgrades and updated investments. However, rapid urbanization also exposes cities and their inhabitants to increased vulnerability from climate change and environmental degradation. Heatwaves, earthquakes, droughts, and floods have led to large-scale disasters, resulting in significant economic and human losses. Consequently, urban resilience has emerged as a crucial global concern, particularly in managing unexpected crises. This study examines international best practices in urban resilience principles, measurements, strategies, and actions employed in cities such as New York, Tokyo, Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Semarang. These cities have successfully responded to severe shocks or chronic pressures by implementing sustainable and efficient measures. By conducting an extensive examination of existing literature and best practices, this research presents an urban resilience conceptual framework that can serve as a valuable tool to support effective city planning.