ABSTRACT
The Dammam Metropolitan area is located in eastern Saudi Arabia along the Gulf seashore, in the most oil-rich region in the world. This chapter tells the story of development in this eastern part of Saudi Arabia. It investigates how urban identity in the region has gone through transition during recent decades, and how this has influenced the acceptance' and use' of urban structures. The chapter concentrates on people's lifestyles within their home environment in relation to the wider transformation of urban structures. Social, economic and political changes must all be seen as major factors in the analysis of the impact of urban change on cultural identity. The main characteristics of urban development in Dammam and Khobar were based on the western principles of grid-iron land subdivision. These two cities were divided into a number of almost-square blocks surrounded by wide streets, as a form of domino planning'.
