Mohd Zairul- Department of Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering and Advanced Computing, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The Arabian Gulf has witnessed rapid social housing transformations driven by modernization, economic diversification, and ambitious policy reforms such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Despite these efforts, persistent issues of affordability, regulatory inefficiency, and socio-cultural misalignment continue to challenge sustainable housing delivery. Current reviews are fragmented, often focusing narrowly on policy or technology, with limited integration of cultural and participatory dimensions. This gap highlights the need for a systematic synthesis that captures the multi-dimensional nature of housing development in the Gulf. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of social housing development in the Arabian Gulf, examining the interplay of policies, cultural dynamics, technological practices, and participatory design approaches. Employing the Thematic Review (TreZ) method, which integrates systematic coding and synthesis through ATLAS.ti, 26 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2020 and 2025 were analyzed to identify recurring patterns and emerging themes. The analysis generated four dominant themes: (1) Government policies and economic drivers, emphasizing Vision 2030, PPPs, and affordability reforms; (2) Cultural and demographic impacts, including privacy, gender segregation, and household size; (3) Technological and sustainable practices, highlighting green roofs, BIM, AI, MMC, and Industry 4.0 tools; and (4) Participatory design and socio-cultural sustainability, addressing the neglect of cultural heritage and the potential of VR-enabled engagement. Findings indicate that while Gulf states are pursuing progressive, innovation-driven housing policies, critical gaps remain in socio-cultural sustainability and methodological integration. This research benefits scholars, policymakers, and practitioners by offering a holistic framework for advancing resilient, inclusive, and contextually grounded housing models in the Arabian Gulf.
1 Introduction
The Arabian Gulf has undergone one of the most striking transformations of the modern era, shifting from tribal societies to developed nation-states within the span of a few decades. This transition has been marked by rapid modernization, economic expansion, and social restructuring. The discovery of oil acted as the primary catalyst, fuelling unprecedented growth and reshaping the social, economic, and political foundations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Resource wealth provided these states with the capacity to evolve into contemporary polities, while also redefining governance and public administration across the region.
Political structures in the Gulf remain deeply rooted in hereditary monarchies and centralized decision-making. Davidson (2013) contends that this concentration of power has historically underpinned stability and regime resilience, shaping policy formation and implementation. At the same time, the rentier state model has exerted a profound influence on governance. Hertog (2010) observes that oil revenues enabled governments to construct welfare-oriented systems, offering citizens generous subsidies, public sector employment, and social benefits. This arrangement produced a social contract based on allocation rather than taxation, emphasizing stability through resource distribution rather than through policy accountability or performance evaluation. In recent decades, however, Gulf states have faced mounting pressures to reform. Volatile oil markets, demographic change, and rising societal expectations have driven a gradual shift toward more inclusive and performance-based governance models. National transformation strategies, such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, embody this transition by emphasizing economic diversification, institutional efficiency, and evidence-based policymaking. As Al-Saud and Kéchichian (2020) note, such initiatives mark a decisive departure from reliance on hydrocarbon rents, signalling a regional commitment to innovation, sustainability, and measurable development outcomes.
In terms of housing industry, rapid urbanization, sustained population growth, and the structural reliance on expatriate labour have intensified pressure on urban housing systems across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states (Biygautane, 2023). While governments have historically provided large-scale public housing through resource-backed subsidies, fiscal volatility linked to fluctuating oil revenues has raised concerns about the sustainability of state-led housing provision (Karmout et al., 2021). In response, public–private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged as a pivotal policy instrument to mobilize private finance and expertise while distributing risk between governments and private developers (Biygautane and Clegg, 2023). This review differs from earlier Gulf housing syntheses by bridging policy-driven and socio-cultural analyses through a thematic integration model. Whereas prior reviews focused narrowly on PPPs or affordability frameworks, this study captures the interdependence of policy, culture, technology, and participation—thereby expanding methodological and contextual scope.
2 Literature review
Recent GCC policy discourse highlights a paradigm shift in the role of PPPs, traditionally confined to transport and utilities, towards the social housing sector (Biygautane, 2023). Affordable housing, in particular, is increasingly framed as a strategic priority within national development agendas, as exemplified by Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 (Alshahrani et al., 2023). Yet, despite regulatory reforms and growing political backing, significant challenges remain in translating policy intent into operational housing programs. These include institutional capacity gaps, ambiguous governance frameworks, financing constraints, and the difficulty of aligning social objectives with private sector incentives (Akinsulire and Ohakawa, 2022; Chiang et al., 2022).
Against this backdrop, this article examines the evolving landscape of social housing development in the Arabian Gulf, with a focus on the policy frameworks, practices, and prospects of PPP-driven housing provision. Specifically, it situates Gulf experiences within the broader international literature on housing PPPs, highlighting both regional innovations and persistent constraints. By synthesizing cross-country evidence, the study seeks to illuminate the conditions under which PPPs can serve as effective vehicles for delivering affordable housing in resource-dependent contexts. Social housing in the Arabian Gulf has historically been tied to welfare distribution and nation-building, financed primarily through oil revenues (Karmout et al., 2021). However, fiscal volatility and growing housing demand have compelled governments to reconsider state-dominated models. Increasingly, social housing is being repositioned as a policy domain where private sector participation can complement public provision, particularly in affordable and mass housing segments (Biygautane, 2023).
Globally, PPPs are recognized as a means of mobilizing capital, technology, and managerial know-how in housing development, with varying degrees of success (Batra, 2022; Chiang et al., 2022). In the Gulf, PPP adoption reflects a strategic response to fiscal constraints and the need for risk-sharing. GCC governments have introduced regulatory reforms to facilitate private participation across the housing value chain, emphasizing political support, institutional readiness, and regulatory clarity as prerequisites (Biygautane, 2023). While PPPs have been widely implemented in infrastructure, their application in housing remains emergent, requiring careful adaptation to national regulatory cultures and institutional contexts (Biygautane and Clegg, 2023). Saudi Arabia provides a notable case, where PPPs in housing are aligned with Vision 2030 objectives to expand affordable housing supply.
Makkah has been highlighted as a critical testing ground for PPP-led housing for low-income populations, underscoring the importance of procurement design, institutional coordination, and transparent governance (Alshahrani et al., 2023). Similar initiatives across the GCC reveal recurring challenges: policy coherence, financing stability, and mechanisms for aligning private incentives with social outcomes (Karmout et al., 2021). Comparative insights suggest that Gulf PPPs remain highly dependent on strong political sponsorship and evolving regulatory frameworks. Financing remains a central challenge in Gulf housing PPPs, as governments seek to reduce fiscal exposure while ensuring affordability. International evidence underscores the importance of transparent financial frameworks, fiscal accountability, and robust risk management tools such as public sector comparators (Akinsulire et al., 2024; Akinsulire and Ohakawa, 2022).
In the Gulf, where revenue streams are tied to oil markets, inadequate risk allocation can undermine project outcomes and investor confidence (Chiang et al., 2022). This has led to growing emphasis on accountability frameworks, value-for-money assessments, and social performance metrics. The prospects for housing PPPs in the Gulf are shaped by regulatory reforms, capacity-building initiatives, and the integration of housing into national diversification strategies. Comparative lessons from Europe and Asia suggest that successful housing PPPs integrate social sustainability, community engagement, and measurable performance indicators (Batra, 2022). For Gulf states, gradual implementation, consistent policy signals, and regional knowledge exchange are seen as crucial to scaling PPP-driven housing provision (Biygautane and Clegg, 2023).
The Gulf states face persistent housing challenges despite ambitious policy frameworks and development programs. In Saudi Arabia, rising residential land prices, escalating construction costs, and the pressures of rapid urbanization continue to undermine housing affordability. Although initiatives such as the Sakani Program and Idle Lands Program under Vision 2030 seek to mobilize public–private partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms, the developmental housing program reflects a broader neoliberal shift that raises concerns about inclusivity and social equity (Alqahtany, 2018; Alqahtany and Bin Mohanna, 2019; Bin Mohanna and Alqahtany, 2019). On the other hand, Bahrain’s housing sector illustrates similar difficulties, with rapid urbanization and economic constraints generating prolonged waiting lists, while the dominance of high-end real estate markets restricts opportunities for middle- and low-income groups. Even with reforms aimed at improving affordable housing management, structural imbalances persist, prompting calls for more transdisciplinary solutions that combine urban design, architectural sociology, economics, and environmental strategies (Mihyawi et al., 2025). Kuwait, meanwhile, has sought to align its housing sector with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably through projects such as Jaber Al-Ahmed City, which emphasize sustainable urban forms and community wellbeing.
Yet despite these aspirations, critical gaps remain in achieving genuinely sustainable and inclusive built environments. Collectively, these cases highlight a regional dilemma: Gulf housing policies are evolving, but persistent structural and institutional constraints limit their effectiveness in addressing the needs of diverse populations (Al-Ansari and AlKhaled, 2023). Therefore, this article seeks to analyze how social housing patterns and trends have developed in the Gulf countries from 2020 through 2025.
3 Methodology
The Thematic Review (TreZ) approach, developed by Zairul (2023), Zairul (2020), Mnea and Zairul (2023), Zairul and Zaremohzzabieh (2023), adapts thematic analysis for literature reviews. It moves beyond descriptive summaries by systematically identifying, coding, and synthesising patterns across prior research. The method builds on) conceptualisation of thematic analysis, offering a structured framework for research synthesis in architecture, housing, and the built environment (Braun and Clarke, 2022). To enhance transparency and rigour, the TreZ method integrates qualitative analysis software such as ATLAS. ti 25. This software facilitates systematic coding, memoing, annotation, and data organisation, enabling reviewers to trace themes consistently across large datasets. Tools such as codebooks and network diagrams further support transparency and replicability in thematic development. Nevertheless, effective use requires both technical competence with the software and sensitivity to the qualitative nature of the analysis. While PRISMA and Scoping Review remain standards for structured reviews, the Thematic Review (TreZ) approach was adopted because it integrates systematic coding with qualitative synthesis using ATLAS. ti. This allows for thematic depth in interdisciplinary domains, such as architecture and housing, where textual interpretation and conceptual linkages are critical. The process remains PRISMA-compliant in terms of screening transparency, as illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Thematic review flowz (TreZ).
3.1 TreZ flow: a five-step framework
The TreZ Flow by Zairul (2023) comprises five sequential stages designed to ensure that the review process remains transparent, replicable, and aligned with the research objectives:
1. Defining the Research Question (RQ): A precise and balanced RQ sets the scope of the review, avoiding unnecessary complexity while ensuring sufficient depth for meaningful insights.
2. Article Screening: Comprehensive database searches are conducted using Boolean operators and targeted keywords to maximise coverage while maintaining focus.
3. Article Filtering: Clear inclusion and exclusion criteria are applied to retain only relevant, high-quality empirical studies.
4. Data Cleaning: Metadata is verified, duplicates removed, and references managed through platforms such as Mendeley.
5. Synthesis and Reporting: Coding and theme-building are conducted using ATLAS.ti. The process integrates both qualitative insights and quantitative patterns, ensuring a comprehensive synthesis of the literature.
3.2 Search strategy
A triangulated search strategy was employed using both Scopus and the Web of Science (WoS) databases to capture literature on social housing development in the Arabian Gulf countries between 2020 and 2025. The Scopus query was formulated as (TITLE-ABS-KEY (Social Housing Development) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (Arabian Gulf Countries) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY (public housing in Saudi Arabia OR UAE OR Kuwait OR Qatar OR Bahrain OR Oman)), which generated 63 records covering the six Gulf states. In WoS, the search was refined under the topic field “Social Housing Development in the Arabian Gulf Countries: Policies, Practices, and Prospects,” limited to the years 2020–2025, and restricted to full-length articles while excluding reviews, proceedings, book chapters, and editorials. To enhance accessibility, only open access records were considered. This search resulted in 12 records. Together, the two databases yielded a combined total of 75 records prior to screening.
3.3 Eligibility criteria and screening
To ensure methodological rigour, this review applied strict eligibility criteria. Only full-length, peer-reviewed empirical articles published in English between 2020 and 2025 were considered, provided they directly addressed social housing development, policies, or practices in the Arabian Gulf. Excluded from the dataset were reviews, conceptual papers, editorials, book chapters, conference proceedings, retracted publications, and studies conducted outside the Gulf region or unrelated to housing policy and development. The initial search yielded 75 records, of which six duplicates were removed, leaving 69 unique articles. Subsequent screening for relevance and quality led to the exclusion of 43 records, primarily due to incomplete metadata or their focus on Middle Eastern contexts outside the Gulf. The final dataset therefore comprised 26 empirical studies that fully met the inclusion criteria. This approach ensured both comprehensive coverage and analytical precision. Scopus contributed breadth by capturing a wide range of peer-reviewed outputs, while WoS enhanced methodological robustness through its stricter indexing and filtering. Collectively, the 26 studies represent a rigorously curated evidence base, enabling a systematic thematic synthesis of policies, practices, and future prospects in social housing across the Gulf states (Table 1).
Table 1. Search strings from Scopus and WoS.
4 Results
This section systematically presents the findings of the thematic review, structured into two components: quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative analysis provides descriptive overviews of the reviewed studies, employing visual tools such as Sankey diagrams and summary tables to illustrate data patterns, publication trends, and categories of interventions. Building upon this foundation, the qualitative analysis offers a narrative interpretation of the identified themes, synthesising key insights into the evolving patterns and trends of social housing development in the Gulf countries between 2020 and 2025.
4.1 Quantitative results
The Sankey diagram (Figure 2) illustrates the distribution of reviewed studies on social housing in the Arabian Gulf countries across the period 2020–2025. The flow of publications reveals clear temporal and geographical patterns. In the early years (2020–2022), contributions were relatively diverse, with studies emerging from Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, in addition to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). From 2023 onwards, however, Saudi Arabia began to dominate the research landscape, reflecting its national policy emphasis under Vision 2030 and the proliferation of studies addressing housing affordability, governance, and technological adoption. The UAE maintained a consistent presence throughout the review period, particularly in themes related to social sustainability and participatory design. By contrast, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar exhibited declining representation after 2022, indicating more limited research activity in recent years. Collectively, the visualisation underscores the growing concentration of Gulf housing research in Saudi Arabia and, to a lesser extent, the UAE, highlighting a shift in scholarly attention towards countries undergoing large-scale housing reforms and innovation-driven development agendas (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Country vs. year of publication.
The final dataset of 26 articles was distributed across 20 journals, with a clear imbalance among the four thematic clusters. Government Policies and Economic Drivers (n = 8) and Technological and Sustainable Practices (n = 7) accounted for the majority of publications, while Cultural and Demographic Impacts (n = 6) and Participatory Design and Socio-Cultural Sustainability (n = 5) were less represented. This uneven distribution can be attributed to regional priorities and research funding agendas. The dominance of policy-focused studies reflects the centrality of national housing strategies, such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and comparable initiatives in the UAE and Kuwait, which have stimulated academic output on affordability, governance, and programmatic reforms. Similarly, the strong presence of technology-oriented studies corresponds with the rapid diffusion of BIM, Industry 4.0, and sustainable construction practices in the Gulf, where innovation-driven housing policies have attracted scholarly and industry attention. In contrast, research on cultural, demographic, and participatory aspects of housing, while emerging, remains underrepresented due to its qualitative and context-specific nature, which often receives less institutional emphasis compared with measurable policy outcomes or technological innovations. Nonetheless, the presence of such studies in interdisciplinary journals, including Frontiers in Built Environment and Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, suggests growing recognition of socio-cultural sustainability as a complementary dimension to policy and technology-driven housing research (Table 2).
Table 2. Journal vs. theme.
4.2 Qualitative results
The qualitative synthesis of the selected studies highlights four interconnected themes that collectively explain the evolving patterns of social housing development in the Arabian Gulf between 2020 and 2025. The first theme, government policies and economic drivers, underscores the central role of state-led reforms in shaping housing provision. National initiatives, particularly Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the Sakani Program, and the Idle Lands Tax, have been instrumental in redefining affordability, land allocation, and delivery strategies. Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged as a cornerstone of housing policy, offering opportunities for mobilizing private capital and expertise. However, their effectiveness remains constrained by persistent challenges such as inflated land prices, financing limitations, and regulatory inefficiencies.
The second theme, cultural and demographic impacts, emphasizes the enduring influence of social norms and population structures on housing demand and design. Privacy, gender segregation, and hospitality traditions remain deeply embedded in housing preferences, with large households continuing to favour villas and courtyard housing. At the same time, demographic diversification, financial constraints, and evolving lifestyle aspirations are gradually shifting preferences, creating tensions between traditional expectations and modern housing typologies.
The third theme, technological and sustainable practices, reflects the increasing adoption of green building strategies and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, including Building Information Modelling (BIM), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and modern methods of construction (MMC). These innovations promise enhanced efficiency, reduced costs, and improved sustainability outcomes. Nonetheless, their integration is uneven, limited by high upfront costs, lack of standardization, and insufficient training capacity, which restrict scalability across the region.
The fourth theme, participatory design and socio-cultural sustainability, points to the growing recognition of resident engagement as a vital dimension of housing development. Evidence shows that participatory mechanisms—ranging from community consultations to VR-enabled design tools—enhance satisfaction and adaptability, while also addressing socio-cultural needs often neglected in top-down models. Yet, socio-cultural sustainability remains underrepresented in policy and practice, as efficiency-driven approaches continue to dominate housing delivery (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Overall themes to answer research question.
Taken together, these findings demonstrate that social housing development in the Gulf is shaped by the intersection of state-led reforms, cultural traditions, technological ambitions, and community expectations. While government policy and technological innovation dominate the discourse, cultural adaptation and participatory approaches are increasingly acknowledged as critical to ensuring resilient, inclusive, and sustainable housing models for the region.
4.2.1 Theme 1: government policies and economic drivers
Among the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia stands out as the primary context where housing policy and economic drivers have been examined in depth. While the broader region shares common challenges of affordability, rapid urbanization, and oil dependency, the literature shows that only Saudi Arabia has generated a sustained body of scholarship linking government reforms to housing outcomes.
Alqahtany and Alshammari (2025) provides a state-of-the-art review that frames Vision 2030 as both a blueprint for transformation and a reflection of the structural barriers that continue to constrain housing reform. His analysis shows that while Saudi Arabia has introduced an unprecedented range of policies, from financing reforms to large-scale housing programs, the impact of these initiatives is uneven due to persistent affordability issues and regulatory complexities. Complementing this perspective, Alhajri (2022) examines government housing programs, arguing that state-led provision remains the backbone of affordable housing policy. However, external shocks have tested these systems. Alharbi (2024) demonstrates that COVID-19 exposed the vulnerability of Saudi housing finance, with refinancing schemes and payment relief sustaining delivery in the short term but failing to tackle structural drivers of unaffordability.
Public–private partnerships (PPPs) are another recurring focus. Abdullah and Alshibani (2022) introduces a multi-criteria decision-making framework to guide the selection of sustainable private partners, emphasizing transparency and accountability. Similarly, Alqahtani and Bahmmam (2024) highlights the critical success factors for PPPs, finding that while such collaborations can expand delivery capacity, they are constrained by land prices and regulatory bottlenecks. From the household perspective, Alhamoudi (2024) shows how rising costs reshape ownership preferences, with more families turning to apartments as a response to affordability pressures. At the same time, his earlier work (Alhamoudi, 2024) explores the promise of Industry 4.0 technologies for sustainable housing delivery, suggesting that digital innovation could enhance efficiency and sustainability but remains in an exploratory phase. Taken together, these studies converge on the argument that Saudi Arabia’s housing reforms under Vision 2030 are ambitious and multidimensional, but their effectiveness is moderated by enduring economic drivers. PPPs, financing reforms, and digital innovations provide important opportunities, yet affordability, land market inefficiencies, and welfare-state legacies remain decisive. Importantly, this concentration of literature on Saudi Arabia contrasts sharply with the broader Gulf, where equivalent academic engagement is largely absent. The Kingdom thus emerges as the key regional case study for understanding how government policy and economic drivers intersect to shape housing outcomes.
Subsequently, underlying these policy debates is the enduring influence of Saudi Arabia’s rentier political economy. Alqahtani and Bahmmam (2024) situates housing within the rentier state paradigm, stressing that reliance on oil revenues continues to shape welfare regimes and complicates diversification. Alshahrani et al. (2023) further show how land market dynamics exacerbate tensions between public and private stakeholders, reinforcing stratification and segregation. What distinguishes Saudi Arabia from its Gulf neighbours is the sheer breadth of policy experimentation and scholarly engagement with these themes. While Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE face similar structural pressures, there is little evidence of equivalent research linking their housing outcomes to state-driven reforms, PPPs, or digital transformation strategies. This concentration of literature underscores Saudi Arabia’s centrality in regional housing debates and reflects its position as the Gulf’s largest economy and the most ambitious reformer under Vision 2030 (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Theme 1 (government policies and economic drivers).
4.2.2 Theme 2: cultural and demographic impacts
Cultural and demographic dimensions remain central to understanding housing demand and satisfaction in the Gulf, but the literature shows how these factors manifest differently across contexts. In Bahrain, Lafi et al. (2023) demonstrates that residents frequently modify subsidized housing units to better align with cultural expectations of privacy, hospitality, and gender segregation. These bottom-up adjustments reflect the tension between standardized housing delivery and deeply rooted socio-cultural norms. Similarly, Mihyawi et al. (2025) situates these challenges within a broader governance frame, arguing that Bahrain’s housing management struggles require a transdisciplinary approach that integrates architectural, sociological, and economic perspectives.
Saudi Arabia presents a parallel but distinct set of cultural dynamics. Alhamoudi and Dano (2025), Dano (2024) highlights how large household sizes and regional variations strongly influence preferences for villas and courtyard houses over apartments. This reinforces the persistence of extended-family living arrangements, which continue to shape urban form despite rising affordability pressures. Complementing this (Alnaim and Noaime, 2024), situates housing preferences within the traditional morphology of Najdi towns, where neighborhood clustering and cul-de-sac patterns fostered social cohesion and community governance. His work underscores that cultural expectations of hierarchy, privacy, and collective identity continue to inform spatial arrangements, even in the face of modernization. In Qatar, AL-Mohannadi et al. (2020) foregrounds the cultural logic of vernacular domestic architecture, emphasizing that privacy, whether individual, family, or gendered, structured the form of traditional houses. Her framework illustrates how architectural design served as a mediator of social relations, balancing hospitality with the protection of household boundaries. This lens highlights the risk that modern housing typologies, if inattentive to such norms, may undermine resident satisfaction.
The United Arab Emirates provides yet another variation. Almutawa et al. (2025) argues that social sustainability must be central to housing policy, demonstrating that cultural cohesion, demographic diversity, and participatory planning are critical to building socially resilient communities. In her model, the integration of cultural norms with inclusive governance is positioned as essential for managing rapid urbanization and multicultural populations. Taken together, these studies converge on the argument that cultural and demographic factors are not peripheral considerations but structural determinants of housing outcomes. Across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, issues of privacy, gender segregation, household size, and neighborhood morphology continue to shape housing demand and resident satisfaction. At the same time, evolving preferences, management challenges, and pressures of urbanization highlight the need for policies and designs that adapt to both tradition and change. Successful social housing in the Gulf must therefore bridge standardized provision with cultural specificity, embedding socio-cultural logics into both policy frameworks and architectural practice (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Theme 2 (cultural and demographic impacts).
4.2.3 Theme 3: technological and sustainable practices
Technological innovation and sustainable building practices are increasingly transforming the housing sector in Saudi Arabia, yet the literature reveals a complex balance between opportunities and challenges. Balabel et al. (2024) underscores the contribution of green roofs to sustainability, highlighting their role in passive cooling, improved health outcomes, and enhancement of building performance within rating systems. His study shows that vernacular-inspired passive strategies can be effectively reinterpreted in modern construction, linking sustainability to cultural and climatic appropriateness.
Parallel to green practices, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has introduced transformative tools. Alghuried (2023) demonstrates that Building Information Modelling (BIM) enhances sustainable practices through more efficient planning and resource management, though uptake is hindered by costs, standardization gaps, and limited training. Similarly, Almutairi et al. (2024) evaluates the sustainability potential of modern methods of construction (MMC), noting that while they improve efficiency and reduce waste, implementation barriers such as cost and technical expertise limit widespread adoption.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin technologies further expands these possibilities. Alnaser and Elmousalami (2025) recently finds that AI-driven digital twins can enhance cost efficiency, safety, and environmental performance, offering measurable benefits in GDP growth and welfare improvements. However, he cautions that infrastructural readiness and skills development remain critical gaps. Complementing this, Alsehaimi and Sanni-Anibire (2024) frames Industry 4.0 implementation as contingent on addressing critical success factors, from policy support to workforce training, without which adoption risks being fragmented and unsustainable.
From a housing-specific perspective, Alhamoudi (2024), Alhamoudi and Osunsanmi (2024) positions Industry 4.0 technologies as central to enabling sustainable delivery across the housing supply chain. He argues that technologies such as AI, BIM, VR, and MMC could address inefficiencies in planning and execution, but their impact depends on overcoming structural barriers such as high costs and lack of standardization. His study reinforces the view that initial investment is high, yet long-term returns in efficiency and sustainability are substantial (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Theme 3 (technological and sustainable practices).
Finally, broader cultural and regional perspectives situate these technological shifts within sustainability agendas. Ibrahim et al. (2025) emphasizes that the cultural dimensions of smart cities in the Arab region mediate how technology and sustainability are adopted. Her comparative analysis highlights that policies must not only address technical challenges but also embed local social values to ensure acceptance and long-term viability. Collectively, these studies argue that while green building practices and 4IR technologies hold transformative potential for Saudi housing, significant adoption barriers remain. Costs, standardization, and training consistently emerge as constraints, yet scholars converge on the position that long-term efficiency and sustainability gains outweigh short-term challenges. Importantly, the literature highlights that technology cannot be viewed in isolation: successful integration requires cultural sensitivity, policy reform, and active engagement of residents and industry stakeholders.
4.2.4 Theme 4: participatory design and socio-cultural sustainability
Across the Gulf, socio-cultural sustainability in housing remains underexplored, with many state-driven models neglecting the cultural norms and social processes that shape everyday life (Amrousi et al., 2020) demonstrates how transnational communities in Abu Dhabi’s industrial spaces use vernacular expressions to assert identity, highlighting the clash between imported housing typologies and localized cultural practices. This underscores the broader critique that housing models often privilege efficiency and standardization at the expense of social and cultural integration. Privacy, gender segregation, and hospitality are particularly critical in shaping household design. Al-Mohannadi and Furlan (2022) illustrates this through the syntax of Qatari traditional houses, showing how layered notions of individual, family, and female privacy are embedded in spatial organization. Her work argues that ignoring these cultural logics in contemporary housing undermines both resident satisfaction and socio-cultural sustainability.
Questions of resilience and adaptability further complicate the picture. Assi (2023) examines early Shabiyat housing in Ras Al-Khaimah, showing how home mobility and resident-led modifications reflect strategies to reconcile state-delivered housing with cultural needs. Similarly, Elmenghawi and Cazacova (2023), through a case study in Ras Al-Khaimah, emphasizes that sustainable housing models must integrate participatory assessment frameworks to capture residents’ socio-cultural requirements and long-term adaptability. From a planning perspective, Al-Ansari and AlKhaled (2023) analyzes social housing neighborhoods in Kuwait, finding that sustainable urban forms depend on participatory decision-making and inclusive governance. Their evidence-based assessment demonstrates that neglecting resident engagement weakens resilience, while inclusive models foster adaptability to demographic and economic change.
Taken together, these studies converge on the argument that participatory design and socio-cultural sustainability are not optional but essential dimensions of housing policy in the Gulf. While VR and digital tools hold promise for expanding participatory engagement, the literature makes clear that the deeper challenge lies in embedding cultural norms, privacy, gender relations, hospitality, and community cohesion, into housing design and policy frameworks. Addressing these gaps requires moving beyond imported models toward context-sensitive strategies that balance efficiency with cultural sustainability (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Theme 4 (participatory design and socio-cultural sustainability).
5 Future research
The landscape of social housing research in the Arabian Gulf reflects four dominant themes, government policies and economic drivers, cultural and demographic impacts, sustainable building technologies, and participatory design and socio-cultural sustainability. These themes not only represent the prevailing patterns of housing development but also explain why Gulf states have approached housing as both a political and socio-economic project. Future research must therefore build on these trajectories while addressing significant gaps that remain underexplored.
5.1 Theme 1: government policies and economic drivers
Scholarship has shown that Gulf housing development is largely driven by top-down policy reforms, particularly in Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030. Research consistently highlights PPPs, affordability measures, and regulatory innovations as pivotal. Yet, gaps remain in evaluating the long-term effectiveness of these reforms beyond immediate delivery outcomes. Future research should adopt longitudinal and comparative approaches to assess how different Gulf states balance affordability with economic diversification, and whether PPPs are adaptable across varied governance systems.
5.2 Theme 2: cultural and demographic impacts
Cultural norms, privacy, gender segregation, hospitality, and demographic realities such as large household sizes continue to dominate housing preferences. Studies show that imported housing models often clash with these norms, leading to resident modifications and uneven satisfaction. However, much of the existing work is descriptive and context-specific. Future studies must employ cross-country comparisons and mixed-method approaches to measure how cultural adaptation influences resident satisfaction and social sustainability over time, and how demographic shifts, such as smaller household sizes and more multicultural communities, reshape demand.
5.3 Theme 3: sustainable building practices and 4IR technologies
The Gulf has embraced green building strategies and 4IR tools such as BIM, AI, VR, and MMC, positioning technology as a solution for efficiency and sustainability. Yet, adoption remains uneven, constrained by cost, lack of standardization, and limited training. Current studies highlight benefits at the project level, but broader policy integration and long-term impacts on affordability and resilience remain underexplored. Future research should include cost–benefit analyses, policy evaluations, and pilot studies to test scalable applications of these technologies across different Gulf contexts.
5.4 Theme 4: participatory design and socio-cultural sustainability
Resident participation and socio-cultural sustainability are increasingly recognized as critical but often overlooked aspects of housing design. Studies from Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait show that ignoring local heritage, privacy norms, and community processes undermines social cohesion. Yet, participatory design remains rare in practice. Future research should test digital participatory platforms, VR-enabled design engagement, and policy models that embed socio-cultural sustainability into housing delivery. Evaluations of resilience and adaptability are especially needed to understand how housing responds to demographic, economic, and environmental shifts.
5.5 Why these themes dominate the gulf context?
These four themes dominate the literature because they align with the Gulf’s unique socio-political and economic context. Housing provision has historically been a political tool of legitimacy, explaining the dominance of policy- and economics-focused studies. Cultural and demographic concerns persist because the region’s societies remain shaped by traditions of family, privacy, and hospitality, even as urbanization and migration introduce new complexities. Technological and sustainable practices are emphasized due to the Gulf’s positioning as a hub for innovation, with governments using housing as a showcase for green and smart agendas. Finally, participatory design and socio-cultural sustainability emerge as corrective themes, responding to the limitations of top-down and technocratic models that risk overlooking community needs.
5.6 Future research agenda
To advance the field, future research must bridge these themes by:
• Conducting longitudinal studies of how government reforms (Theme 1) impact socio-cultural sustainability (Theme 4).
• Measuring the effectiveness of cultural adaptation (Theme 2) within technologically driven housing projects (Theme 3).
• Comparing participatory design strategies across Gulf states to identify transferable practices.
• Developing integrated digital platforms that combine policy monitoring, resident engagement, and sustainability assessment.
In short, the dominance of these four themes reflects the Gulf’s hybrid housing challenge: balancing state-led reforms, cultural traditions, technological ambitions, and community expectations. Future research must go beyond siloed analyses to examine how these themes intersect, thereby building pathways toward resilient, inclusive, and sustainable housing models for the region (Figure 8).
Figure 8. The thematic connections.
6 Conclusion
Social housing development in the Arabian Gulf is undergoing a period of profound transformation, shaped by ambitious government policies, bold economic reforms, and rapid technological advancements. National strategies such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, alongside the expansion of public–private partnerships, have reframed housing as both a developmental priority and a vehicle for economic diversification. Yet, this policy-driven momentum is tempered by persistent challenges of affordability, regulatory efficiency, and uneven distribution of benefits across the region.
Cultural and demographic realities remain equally influential. Large household sizes, privacy norms, gender segregation, and hospitality traditions continue to shape demand for villas and courtyard houses, complicating the adoption of standardized, high-density housing typologies. While modernization and demographic change introduce evolving preferences, these cultural logics underscore that housing in the Gulf is not merely a matter of shelter but a reflection of identity, community, and social order.
Technological innovations are increasingly positioned as solutions to these challenges. Green building practices, modern methods of construction, and 4IR technologies such as AI, BIM, VR, and digital twins hold the potential to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and resident engagement. Nevertheless, their adoption faces significant barriers, including high costs, lack of standardization, and limited training. Without careful policy integration, technological advancements risk becoming isolated pilot projects rather than transformative systems.
Participatory design emerges as a corrective to these limitations. By actively involving residents in decision-making, whether through community consultations or VR-enabled design platforms, housing delivery can become more responsive, adaptable, and socially inclusive. The literature suggests that participatory approaches not only improve resident satisfaction but also strengthen resilience by aligning housing with cultural norms and evolving demographic realities.
Taken together, these insights point to a regional housing landscape in transition: one where government-led reforms, cultural traditions, technological innovation, and participatory processes converge but do not yet fully align. Addressing gaps in socio-cultural sustainability and methodological integration remains critical for future progress. Longitudinal studies, comparative cross-country analyses, and integrated digital platforms are essential to build a more robust evidence base for housing policy and practice.
Ultimately, stakeholders across government, academia, industry, and civil society must collaborate to create housing that is not only economically viable and technologically advanced but also deeply grounded in the Gulf’s cultural practices and community needs. Only through such integration can social housing in the Arabian Gulf evolve into a model that is resilient, inclusive, and sustainable, balancing the ambitions of modern development with the enduring values of its societies. Government housing reforms, particularly under Vision 2030, are not culturally neutral; they reshape domestic lifestyles by encouraging denser urban forms and alternative ownership patterns. These shifts influence traditional expectations of privacy and gendered space, necessitating new participatory design tools. Emerging technologies such as BIM and VR act as mediating instruments that translate policy objectives into spatial experiences, enabling residents to visualize and negotiate design outcomes in culturally appropriate ways.
Author contributions
MZ: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal Analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing.
Funding
The authors declare that no financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article.
Conflict of interest
The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Keywords: social housing development, gulf countries (GCC), socio-cultural sustainability, fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies, TreZ thematic review
Citation: Zairul M (2025) Social housing development in the Arabian Gulf countries: policies, practices, and prospects. Front. Built Environ. 11:1715060. doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2025.1715060
Received: 30 September 2025; Accepted: 07 November 2025;
Published: 24 November 2025.
Edited by:
Khaled Galal Ahmed, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab EmiratesReviewed by:
Aref Maksoud, University of Sharjah, United Arab EmiratesShailendra K. Mandal, National Institute of Technology Patna, India
Copyright © 2025 Zairul. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Mohd Zairul, bXpub29yQGFsZmFpc2FsLmVkdQ==