Coastal reclamation for residential, tourism, and commercial developments in the Arabian Peninsula and other global regions has dramatically increased in recent decades. This phenomenon is undoubtedly innovative and novel; however, it disrupts the natural balance of marine environments and degrades coastal and marine resources. Moreover, the long-term sustainability of such developments might be undermined by rising water levels, earthquakes, and the behavior of filling material and others. This paper analyzed the extent of land reclamation in the Dammam Metropolitan Area (DMA) along the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia within the last two decades and its environmental sustainability impacts. The study used satellite images to compare the coastal boundary of the study area from 2000 to 2020. The study analyzed five major reclamation projects and found that a total of 6081 hectares of land has been reclaimed from the Arabian Gulf, thereby altering the coastal profile of DMA significantly. The environmental sustainability implication of these projects includes the degradation and loss of ecosystem services and marine habitat, urban sprawl, and flood risk. Therefore, environmental regulations, such as the strict prohibition of coastal reclamation, and ecosystem-based urban planning, are needed for sustainable coastal land development.

Cities across the Arab Gulf region, especially those in Bahrain, have undergone a notable transformation by virtue of the rapid urbanization of the region. Thus, the characteristics of these cities have encountered massive transformation. Accordingly, both governmental and non-governmental projects are authorized for collaborative work to meet the accelerating demands resulting from the increase in population in the Kingdom of Bahrain. However, such projects have been neglected due to other crucial environmental issues. For instance, these projects have resulted in excessive carbon dioxide gaseous emissions. Consequently, these cities are left to suffer from disregarded public spaces and a limited percentage of designed urban open spaces. The case in Bahrain can be summarized as suffering from an absence of the three pillars of sustainability. This has been a fertile ground for the emergence of various urban devastations, among which the “Urban Heat Island” phenomenon adversely affects the urban context of the city. This research investigates these problems, offering propositions to control Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) in Bahrain. Moreover, it aims to recognize the effect of Green Roof Systems in terms of sustainability in order to mitigate UHIs and reduce the threat of Global Warming.

In the context of global climate change, there is a projected increase in land surface temperature (LST) worldwide, amplifying its impacts. This poses a particular concern for countries with hot climates, including the Kingdom of Bahrain as an example for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC), which are countries with a hot climate. With a surge in population growth, there is a heightened demand for land to accommodate additional residential developments, creating an opportunity to investigate the influence of land use changes on LST variations. To achieve this goal, a residential development project spanning from 2013 to 2023 was undertaken. Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS remote sensing datasets were selected for four climate seasons, each set comprising images before and after development. The analysis involved extracting the LST, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Normalized Difference Built-Up Index (NDBI) on various dates, followed by correlation and regression analyses to explore their interrelationships. The results revealed a significant increase in the mean LST during spring and autumn post-development. A consistent positive association between the LST and NDBI was observed across all seasons, strengthening after development completion. Conversely, there was a pre-development negative correlation between the LST and NDVI, shifting to a positive relationship post-development. These findings empirically support the idea that small-scale residential developments contribute to notable LST increases, primarily due to expanded impervious surfaces. These insights have the potential to inform localized adaptation strategies for small-scale residential development projects, crucial for managing the impacts of rising land surface temperatures.