'Workers' Cities': Kuwait's Magic Recipe for Curbing Urban Sprawl
Experts emphasized to "Al-Siyasa" the importance of coordination among authorities to ensure the implementation of regulations and achieve development.
Hamoud Aqela Al-Anazi: Transitioning from the concept of "housing management" to "managing the labor system."
Abdulrahman Al-Husseini: An integrated economic and investment model that yields returns for the state and aligns with its objectives.
Ghadir Maki Jumaa: An urban solution compatible with Kuwait Vision 2035 and "Labor Force" regulations.
Amid the intensive security campaigns launched recently by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with relevant government entities at concentrations of casual labor, to regulate the status of expatriate workers in the country, calls are renewing to activate the labor cities project as a sustainable solution to address workers' housing conditions and curb signs of irregularity. Specialists confirmed to "Al-Siyasa" that the project's success requires the creation of integrated labor cities that go beyond merely providing housing, but also meet safety, public health, and fire protection standards, alongside providing basic services, transportation, and necessary facilities. This approach preserves the dignity of the worker and provides a suitable living environment, while simultaneously meeting the state's regulatory and security requirements.
They pointed out that regulating worker housing and linking it to a unified database encompassing the worker, employer, workplace, and residence would facilitate monitoring and follow-up processes, reduce security, municipal, and health violations, and alleviate pressure on investment residential areas that have seen significant concentrations of labor in recent years.
Experts' views on the mechanisms to ensure the project's success varied, ranging from those who believe the state must treat labor cities as an integrated economic and investment project that yields sustainable returns for the state, alongside its role in regulating the labor market and eliminating informal housing, to those who stress the importance of integrating the roles of government entities, the private sector, and society to ensure a balance between labor market requirements, workers' rights, legal regulations, and the quality of the urban environment.
For his part, Hamoud Aqela Al-Anazi, head of the National Center for Integrity and former member of the Municipal Council, emphasized that labor cities represent one of the most important sustainable solutions for addressing informal housing and regulating the status of expatriate workers, provided they are part of an integrated system for managing labor affairs, rather than merely providing housing.
Al-Anazi stated in an interview with "Al-Siyasa" that the recent security campaigns led by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with government entities reflect the state's seriousness in addressing violations, commending the efforts made in this file. He noted that the issue of labor cities is not new, as the Municipal Council had previously, during his tenure, approved designating sites for their construction following a series of meetings and workshops with relevant authorities, thereby establishing a regulatory foundation to build upon.
He clarified that a successful labor city must provide an integrated residential environment that meets safety, public health, and fire protection standards, along with basic services, transportation, and professional management, thereby preserving the worker's dignity while simultaneously meeting the state's regulatory and security requirements.
He added that labor cities contribute to reducing security, municipal, and health violations by providing organized housing and linking the worker to the employer, workplace, and residence through a unified database, which facilitates monitoring and follow-up operations.
He stressed that the next phase requires transitioning from the concept of "housing management" to "managing the labor system," such that the regulatory process includes data on the worker, their profession, the employer, the workplace, the residence, and the authority responsible for follow-up, thereby achieving more efficient and sustainable management of this file.
He noted that the success of the labor cities project requires completing the implementation of previously allocated sites and enhancing integration between the Ministry of Interior, the Municipality, the Public Authority for Manpower, and relevant entities, while allowing the private sector to participate in the development, management, and operation of labor cities in accordance with state regulations.
He called for linking labor in government projects to approved housing, making housing provision part of the contractor’s obligations from the start of contract implementation. This should be accompanied by the development of a national system for managing and classifying labor data, linking it to work and housing locations, thereby contributing to the regulation of the labor market and improving urban planning and services.
An Economic Model
For his part, real estate affairs researcher Abdulrahman Al-Husseini believes that the success of Kuwait’s labor cities project does not depend solely on creating new residential complexes, but on the government adopting it as an integrated economic and investment model that generates returns for the state while simultaneously aligning with its goals of regulating the labor market and eliminating informal housing.
Al-Husseini told “Al-Siyasa” that Gulf experiences, particularly in Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, have proven that labor cities can evolve into integrated urban centers featuring health facilities, commercial markets, banking services, and recreational areas. This provides a suitable residential and humane environment for workers and alleviates pressure on traditional residential areas.
He added that Kuwait possesses government entities with financial solvency and investment expertise, such as the Public Institution for Social Security, the General Secretariat of Endowments, and government bodies owning real estate assets, which can serve as key partners in developing these cities, rather than limiting the state’s role to land allocation or regulating activities.
He clarified that the involvement of these entities in developing labor cities creates income-generating real estate assets and provides the state with sustainable revenue from rents and services, while ensuring quality management, maintenance, and project sustainability.
He pointed out that the security and regulatory campaigns witnessed in the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area confirm that security measures alone are insufficient. The next phase requires providing organized urban alternatives capable of accommodating labor according to modern standards. He considered labor cities one of the most important solutions, provided the state views them as a long-term developmental and investment project, rather than merely a temporary housing initiative.
Al-Husseini praised the state’s reform steps, noting that the government is undertaking unprecedented reforms encompassing economic, security, and legislative aspects, which have helped correct many imbalances that had accumulated over the years.
“Kuwait Vision 2035”
Meanwhile, Ghadeer Abdulmohsen Maki Jumaa, President of the Developmental Entrepreneurship Association, emphasized that establishing labor cities represents a sustainable urban solution that contributes to organizing workers’ housing and ensuring compliance with the laws and regulations in force in the State of Kuwait, in line with the directions of “Kuwait Vision 2035” and the regulations of the Public Authority for Manpower.
She stressed the importance of treating labor cities as integrated environments rather than mere residential areas, ensuring they consider urban, service, health, and environmental aspects, and provide workers with a suitable living environment within a framework of organization, supervision, and compliance with requirements.
She added that the success of this approach requires providing a comprehensive set of services and facilities within labor cities, commensurate with the needs of residents. This includes basic services and means ensuring easy access to them, alongside attention to cleanliness, health, safety, and the environment, thereby providing an appropriate level of quality of life.
She emphasized the importance of ensuring that labor cities comply with laws and regulations, and are subject to clear monitoring and follow-up mechanisms, thereby guaranteeing ongoing compliance and preventing their gradual transformation into unauthorized settlements. She also stressed the need for coordination among relevant authorities to ensure the implementation of regulations and the achievement of the developmental objectives intended by establishing these cities.
She pointed out that organizing the labor housing file also requires linking it to official databases by establishing an “approved and registered” labor residential address within official records. This would help organize information related to labor and housing, and support relevant authorities in their monitoring and oversight activities.
She affirmed that adopting the model of integrated labor cities can achieve a range of urban, social, and developmental objectives by providing an organized environment for workers, protecting residential areas from uses incompatible with their nature, and ensuring the optimal use of land and services.
