Interviews Thematic Analysis of Wadi Hanifah's First Socio-cultural Evaluation
Description
This dataset provides the first socio-cultural evaluation of the Wadi Hanifah Rehabilitation Project (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) through a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews. The research hypothesis is that ecological rehabilitation not only restores environmental functions but also reshapes cultural ecosystem services (CES) and local sense of place. The dataset includes coded interview quotations organized into thematic categories such as physical environment, accessibility, activities, heritage and identity, distinctiveness, and safety. Each entry is tagged with temporal placement (before rehabilitation, after rehabilitation, or mixed) to enable comparative analysis across time. Findings reveal a strong shift in public perception: Wadi Hanifah was previously described as abandoned, unsafe, and environmentally degraded, whereas after rehabilitation it is seen as clean, accessible, and socially inclusive. Participants highlighted enhanced architectural continuity, recreational opportunities, and heritage value, while also noting tensions between modernization and historical authenticity. The dataset can be used to examine how rehabilitation projects affect socio-cultural performance, sense of place, and CES, and may serve as a reference for comparative urban landscape studies.
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Steps to reproduce
The dataset was generated through semi-structured interviews with participants familiar with Wadi Hanifah and its surroundings. The interviews were designed after a rigorous review of planning documents, official strategies, and rehabilitation plans, which informed the development of the interview guide and thematic focus. Interviews explored perceptions of the physical environment, accessibility, activities, heritage, identity, and distinctiveness before and after rehabilitation. Quotations were transcribed, categorized, and systematically coded using a thematic analysis approach. Temporal placement tags (before rehabilitation, after rehabilitation, mixed) were applied to enable comparative analysis across time. The workflow followed a qualitative social science protocol: Document review – analysis of official rehabilitation and planning documents. Interview design – development of a semi-structured guide informed by the document review. Data collection – semi-structured interviews conducted with diverse participants. Data processing – transcription, anonymization, and organization of responses. Analysis – coding into themes and subthemes for comparative and interpretive analysis. This methodology ensures transparency and allows other researchers to reproduce the approach in similar urban or ecological rehabilitation contexts.
Institutions
- University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment