In this paper, I aim to explore how changing state and societal settings affect women’s everyday urban living and experiences in sex-segregated as well as mixed-gender public spaces in Saudi Arabia. Sex segregation in the public domain has become a cornerstone of the Saudi interpretation of Islam (Doumato, 2009). The sex segregation in the public domain that we encounter in Saudi Arabia does not relegate women’s participation to the realm of domesticity, but rather separates men and women in the public sphere. As such, it is a development that has led to the coming about of extensive separate public spheres, that are only for women and in which activities that are by women and for women take place (Doumato, 2009; Hamdan, 2005; Le Renard, 2008). The field of education was the first field in which separate ‘only for women’ public spaces were created, yet in 2009 the first ‘mixed’ university (KAUST, the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology) was opened, leading to an increasing debate about ‘mixing’ (ikhtilāṭ) between men and women. Focusing on the case study of segregation and ‘mixing’ at university, I will start with an examination of the historical trajectory of the development of sex-segregated educational institutions in the Kingdom. Then I will zoom in on the recent debates about the “mixed” KAUST. Finally, based on interviews with urban women with an active role in the public domain, I will explore their views about what are suitable ways for men and women to interact with each other and undertake activities in the public domain in their country, again by using the case of university education. As such, this case study will elucidate the practical resonances on women’s lives of the organization of public settings of everyday urban living.