For pioneering a Local Observatory System now used elsewhere in the country and in the Middle East for smart urban planning

The Saudi Al-Medina Al Munawarah Local Urban Observatory is being awarded for pioneering data collection which has had a major impact on the lives of the people living in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Its main impact has been on vulnerable groups, especially women whose associations are involved in all the agency’s processes. It has been at the forefront of monitoring the Millennium Development Goals, poverty alleviation and the upgrading of informal settlements. Urban residents have been the direct beneficiaries of the activities of the Observatory as they become more and more aware of the situation in their city particularly through the information disseminated by media and in brochures, reports as well as the agency’s website. Because of its success, the Observatory has been replicated in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.