(Middle Tennessee State University, 2013-10-31)
Alghenaim, Khalid Fahad; Estes, Dr. Steven; Bloom, Dr. Kelly; Cunningham, Dr. Peter; Weatherby, Dr. Norman; Health & Human Performance
Saudi Arabia is a conservative Muslim country with few leisure facilities. These facilities include squash courts, aerobics studios, saunas, solariums, swimming pools, and other places where people gather to enjoy themselves. Leisure involvement among Saudi nationals has been low and so is leisure satisfaction, mainly because some leisure activities are considered to be incompatible with many in the Islamic faith. What few facilities there are in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, are predominately privately owned and are mostly enjoyed by expatriates and their families. Therefore, there is a need to create leisure facilities by engaging the private sector in physical planning policies. Public private partnerships are integral in urban planning, and these partnerships will insure the development of urban space to build Riyadh into a cultural and economic center.