The purpose of this dissertation is to develop an approach which may aid decision-makers in the arid regions of the Middle East in formulating a comprehensive and operational set of landscape planning objectives. This purpose is sought through a dual approach; the first deals with objectives as the cornerstone of the landscape planning process, and the second focuses on objectives as a significant element of regional development studies. The benefits of developing landscape planning objectives are discussed, and contextual, ethical, political, social, and procedural difficulties are examined. The relationship between setting public objectives and the rational planning process is surveyed and an iterative model of that process is suggested. Four models of setting public objectives are compared and comprehensive criteria for evaluating these and other ones are suggested. Three existing approaches to determining landscape planning objectives are described and analyzed. The first, i.e., the Problem-Focused Approach as suggested by Lynch is applied within the context of typical problems that challenge the common land uses in the arid Middle East. The second, i.e., the Inductive Approach, which is currently used by most landscape planners, is examined through studying five key development projects in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt. The third, i.e., the Deductive Approach, is used as a foundation to a proposed Landscape Planning Objectives System (LAPOS). LAPOS consists of diverse activities with a common purpose: clarifying and quantifying objectives. Ranking objectives within LAPOS is based on the computation of a grand index for each objective. Computing a grand index encompasses measuring six dimensions for each objective, i.e., space, time, population, demand, marginality, and failure index. / Ph. D.

In the last four decades, Saudi Arabia has undergone rapid urban development. One consequence of this is the emergence of the villa-type dwelling unit as a standard contemporary house design. The domestic open space of each unit is the space surrounding the form of the house. This contemporary domestic open space has failed to meet the basic cultural need for privacy and the demands of the local climate. The aim of this study is to describe the need for privacy as a determining cultural aspect, and climatic comfort in the contemporary domestic open space within the existing cultural and environmental context. The study analyzes the traditional domestic open space to provide clues to direct and improve the existing situation. Design options or guidelines based on the analysis of the contemporary and traditional domestic open spaces are proposed to improve the domestic open space within the villa house pattern. / Master of Landscape Architecture