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For three decades (since 1990 to date), residential areas in Aden City in the south of Yemen have been suffering from the spread of squatter and imported architectural patterns and building violations. During that period the city has witnessed several changes which have their great effects on the situation of building in residential areas. Several building decisions and laws have also been made. Some of these decisions and laws have been defective and deficient, and some could not be implemented. This research paper is intended to explore the suitable ways that can contribute to improving the performance of Yemeni building laws in the residential areas of Aden City in the light of the positive role of building laws in some Arab cities which could help their urban communities reach a distinguished architectural character in the light of the changes witnessed by their communities. The researchers have concluded some of the ways through which the objective of this study can be attained. Perhaps the most important of these ways are the following: -The building law making stage should be preceded by a set of important measures and procedures such as the development of future studies and strategic policies of urban development, and the development of different programs for characterized and squatter areas (e.g. preservation – promotion) and making laws for them. - Specifying the axes on which laws rest so that some of them form constants and values that characterize residential buildings in Arab cities in general, and some may vary depending on the changes taking place in each of these cities, and incorporating them into law amendments. - The State should have trust in the municipality and give it full authority so that it can prepare its own building provisions manual and monitor the enforcement of laws on the ground by specialists who can take the necessary decision when an emergency occurs during the building operations. - Activating and enhancing the role of specialists through their participation in making laws and their amendments, and forming technical committees and administrations involving them within the municipality to preserve the architectural character and local identity of the city and its cultural and historical dimension, especially in its old district (Old Aden). The present research paper deals with the following points: 1. Introduction: Problem, objective, methodology and scope of the study. 2. The situation of building and construction in the residential areas of Aden City during the stage (1990 till now). 3. The Yemeni building legislations and their most important negative aspects. 4. The situation of building and construction in the residential areas of some models Arab cities under building laws and legislations. 5. The lessons that are learnt from the previous models to improve building laws in the residential areas of Aden City. 6. Results and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]