Limah appointed to design addressing system for economic cities in KSA

The Economic Cities are designed to attract more domestic and foreign investment to increase the non-oil economy in Saudi Arabia, and as such the efficiency provided by Limah's services are key.

"Saudi's Economic Cities have demonstrated a keen desire to implement the latest in design for urban environments with an emphasis on sustainability," explained Jason Lewis, Founder and Managing Director of Limah Design Consultants.

"Part of that desire is to create efficient places for people. Cities are the most confusing of all places, and the simplicity of this address system will help solve this," he added.

Limah's team of designers are experts in making complex spaces more efficient through wayfinding and signage, the use of public art, as well as industrial and communication design.

The address system will be based on local and international standards, as well as local culture and the site and architecture itself, to create an efficient, welcoming and caring environment for residents and visitors.

"The Gulf, in particular has been slow to implement such systems, and the systems they have implemented are sometimes confusing, often because they are postal systems rather than user friendly numbering systems for the public," Lewis said.

"Many cities would be wise to both seek out not only postal address systems, but also street addressing systems. Our work in the Economic Cities will consider both types of systems allowing them to work in harmony in addition to creating clear guidelines for appropriate street naming," added Lewis.

"It has been interesting to explore these new areas of design. Many clients know us for our user experience work in wayfinding and it has been a natural progression for us to expand this knowledge into large and complex urban environments," he concluded.

Four of the six Economic Cities are currently under construction: King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Prince AbdulAziz bin Mousaed Economic City (PABMEC), Knowledge Economic City (KEC), and Jazan Economic City (JEC). The Economic Cities project is expected to be completed by mid-2013.