How Close Is the City to Its Residents? The Cognitive City and the ‘15-Minute’ Index: Insights from Riyadh Municipality’s Experience

Dr. Abdulrahman Ahmed Nasser Alsayel

An urban planner and academic focused on humanizing cities and shaping their distinctive identity.

He is a faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the College of Architecture and Planning, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. He holds a PhD in Urban Development, Governance, and Place Branding from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a master’s degree in Sustainable Planning and Environmental Policy from Cardiff University.

Dr. Alsayel has worked as a consultant on international programs with the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and contributed to participatory urban development approaches through the Saudi Cities Future Program. He also co-authored the World Bank publication Greater Than Parts: A Metropolitan Opportunity, received the Best Paper Award at the City Marketing Conference in 2022, and was awarded the Prince Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf award for the Humanization of Cities for Best PhD Thesis in Humanizing Cities in 2025.

Dr. Abdullah Dhifallah

Urban researcher and expert in Saudi urban affairs, holds a PhD in urban planning from Sheffield University.