With partners at Pegasys (Cape Town), Beyond Group (Beirut), and Caminno (Angers), Nodalis has completed the first phase of the “Designing a Sustainable and Inclusive Municipality Organization and Governance for AlUla” project for Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla.

The project to develop AlUla, involving a range of companies and over one thousand consultants from around the world, is a very special one – uplifting the economy of a relatively remote region of Saudi Arabia, and realizing its potential (in its beautiful nature, tradition, and ancient history) to new residents and tourists.  

In this first phase, the project provided recommendations and a structure for effective local governance in the distinct contexts of Saudi Arabia and a location experiencing massive investment and growth, characterized by both a desire to maintain traditions as well as embrace the modern world.

This work was based on the highly-developed skills of more than 20 team members, review of hundreds of documents, over 100 meetings conducted, and dozens of individual, on-site visits to AlUla.

Incorporating a range of information and case studies from Saudi Arabia and the wider world, recommendations were provided across 7 identified workstreams, including Governance (Organization and Processes), Governance (Institutional Structure), Community Participation, Municipal Finance, Service Delivery, Change Management and Human Capital, AlUla Central Regeneration, and Communication.

Nodalis and its partners have already begun implementing the changes outlined in Phase 1 of this project, and in the coming months, work will be done to satisfy many of the needs addressed.