Resident-Centered Metrics for Street Vitality: Validating a Riyadh Framework Under Hot–Arid Conditions

Most established street-vitality assessment tools were developed in temperate, predominantly Western urban settings and therefore do not adequately capture the climatic and socio-spatial conditions of hot–arid cities. This study develops and validates the Resident-Centered Street Vitality Framework (RCSVF) using Riyadh as a case study representative of the Arabian Desert urban context. Drawing on a cross-sectional quantitative design, the research integrates a resident survey across nineteen neighborhoods (N = 1102), physical observations of 133 street segments, a visual preference survey (N = 418), and GIS-based spatial analysis. The results reveal marked intra-urban inequality in perceived environmental quality and demonstrate that service proximity is a substantially stronger predictor of residential satisfaction than street physical quality alone. Residents consistently rated shading, green space, and pedestrian infrastructure as the weakest dimensions of their neighborhoods. These findings indicate that street vitality in hot–arid settings cannot be validly assessed through imported observer-based metrics. A resident-centered, climate-responsive framework is required to capture how thermal exposure, functional accessibility, and everyday social use interact in shaping street experience.