The Impact of Islamic Legislation and Identity on Formulating Environmental and Social Sustainability Indicators for Residential Neighborhoods in Al Diriyah Heritage Area

Heritage neighborhoods in Arab countries form a stereotyped image of architecture whose design was influenced by Islamic legislation, this helped it acquire an identity that distinguished it in form and content. These legislations are a crucial component of social life and the passed-down customs and traditions that continue to be practiced today. Moreover, the forms and designs of heritage neighborhoods evolved to accommodate climatic and environmental factors to mitigate their adverse effects on users. To do this, the study intends to offer insight into how laws and legislations affect neighborhood sustainability from an environmental and social perspective. In order to reach the most important factors (legislation and related architectural and urban elements), the research employs a methodology based on documenting and analyzing the content of what was written from the literature about the subject, and then analyzing a case study from the heritage neighborhoods in Al Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, by observing, meeting the citizens, and determining whether the principles of sustainability for residential neighborhoods are applied and how.