Since the 1950s, cities in Saudi Arabia have witnessed significant changes in the composition of the population and the layout of the built environment . Saudi society has transformed from a nomadic pastoral society to a highly modernized society thanks to increased national income from oil production. Rapid growth and improved economic conditions have led to the adoption of modern planning principles that are contrary to those of the traditional city. Although modernization has helped raise the neighborhood's standard of living, it has also led to the creation of social, cultural and climatic problems. This essay will highlight the impact of contemporary urban planning principles and setback regulations implemented in Riyadh, focusing on the cultural, social and climatic conflict in the city. The essay is divided into five main parts. The first part gives a general overview of Saudi Arabia and Riyadh. Second, a description of the harmonious relationship between society and the built environment in the traditional Islamic city, which meets social and climatic requirements and reflects the Islamic identity of the inhabitants. An analysis of the characteristics of the new built environment compared to the traditional form will be given in the third part. The fourth part will explain the cultural, social and climatic conflicts in Riyadh resulting from the adoption of the grid model and the villa type as the model of the city's neighborhoods. Finally, the essay shows that professionals and authorities in Saudi Arabia have noted the cultural conflict arising from the implementation of contemporary regulations and planning models, and gives examples of a developed scheme provided.... .. middle of the article. .....on planning and urban theory from a vernacular design perspective: MOMRA's initiatives to improve Saudi neighborhoods. " Land Use Policy 18(2): 179-190. Eben Saleh, M. (2002). " The transformation of the residential neighborhood: the emergence of a new urbanism in Saudi culture. " Building and Environment 37(5): 515-529. Greenshields, TH (1980). "Neighborhoods and Ethnicity." Middle Eastern Cities: 120. Mortada, H (2003). Traditional Islamic Principles of the Built Environment, Routledge. Moustapha, A., F. Costa, et al. “Urban development in Saudi Arabia: Building and subdivision codes”. Mubarak, F. (2004). residential: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. » Habitat International 28(4): 567-591. Mubarak, F. (2007)..