A sensitive public art strategy for a historic neighbourhood in transition

Al Balad is one of the most distinctive historic districts in the Middle East – a living neighbourhood, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a place of deep cultural resonance for generations of Jeddawis. Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Barker Langham developed a comprehensive public art strategy that responds to the area’s unique character and complex dynamics.

Working closely with local stakeholders, technical teams and international advisors, we developed a strategy that balances heritage with innovation, and everyday intimacy with cultural ambition. The result is a curatorial and implementation framework that integrates art into Al Balad’s fabric, supporting regeneration, reflecting community identity, and enriching daily life in this remarkable place.

For centuries, Al Balad and its people have welcomed pilgrims, merchants and makers to its narrow lanes and coral stone houses. The public art strategy celebrates this layered history while acknowledging the district’s future role in Jeddah’s cultural transformation.

Rather than imposing new narratives, the approach drew on the district’s existing stories, textures and social patterns to shape three distinct curatorial directions. These recognised Al Balad not as a blank canvas but as a vibrant living site. Public spaces, quiet courtyards and forgotten corners were mapped as sites of potential, with artworks envisioned not as additions, but as continuations of the neighbourhood’s unfolding story.

Al Balad’s layered architecture and shifting street life demand a curatorial strategy that is both sensitive and imaginative. Our approach mapped potential artwork sites across the district – from public squares to passageways, rooftops to doorways – creating a narrative-led experience that encourages exploration.

The plan proposes that contemporary artists respond not just to the physical setting but to the social and emotional histories embedded within it: the memories of generations, the flows of daily life, and the stories still unfolding. In this way, the strategy bridges past and present, treating Al Balad as both subject and stage, where artworks enrich rather than interrupt the experience of place.

After extensive research, we translated our findings into a series of maps, drawings, and diagrams that made the intangible visible. These visual tools helped reveal opportunities, map spatial patterns, and identify potential art sites across Al Balad.

Our studies revealed zones of activity and quiet, patterns of movement and pause, and spaces marked by memory, narrative, and everyday life. Together, they shaped a shared understanding of where and how public art might dwell within the everyday workings of the city.

As cultural masterplanners, our role in Al Balad was to reveal, record, and reflect the bonds between people and place. We began by asking the essential questions: Why here? Who for? What stories matter most?

Our approach combined spatial analysis with lived experience, drawing on social, environmental and cultural expertise, and shaped through dialogue with the communities who know Al Balad best. By bringing together tangible and intangible heritage, we helped lay the foundations for a place that continues to evolve while staying grounded in its origins.

Public art in Al Balad is not about spectacle – it’s about connection. Our strategy places community at the centre of the masterplan, promoting belonging, pride, and shared authorship.

We developed a long-term framework for consultation and engagement, with recommendations for programming, local commissioning, and capacity building, designed to help the public art programme adapt and respond as the neighbourhood changes. In doing so, the strategy strengthens not only the district’s visual character but also its social and economic vitality, supporting the renewal of one of Saudi Arabia’s most historically rich neighbourhoods.