Evaluating ‘pocket’ public spaces in Al Wehdat refugee camp, Jordan: challenges and opportunities

Figures & data

Figure 1. (a) Jordan is situated between politically conflicted areas, making it a main refugee zone. Source (Britannica Encyclopaedia, 2012). (b) Graphical representation of camps locations and densities of camps in Jordan, 2021–2022. Larger circles indicate higher density camps. Author’s map. Generated using Open Street data in ArcGIS Pro.

Figure 2. (a) The built-up area map was created using satellite imagery mapping in ArcGIS Pro, while zoning was based on the Department of Palestinian Affairs’ plot distribution map, which is publicly accessible. (b) mapping of potential pocket spaces.

Table 1. Pocket space characteristics analysis.

Pocket	Location/land use	Space ownership	Existing reappropriation	Community reappropriation types	Potential for expansion (yes/No)
1	Commercial	Leftover space	Yes	Social square, informal street stalls	Yes
2	Mixed-use commercial/residential	UNRWA empty plot	Yes, Around the site	Women sitting at the doorsteps around it. Informal street stalls	Yes
3	Mixed-use	Leftover space	Yes	Used by children to play football.	Yes
4	Residential	Leftover space	Yes	Women sitting at the doorsteps. Temporary use for funeral and wedding events. Football play area.	Yes
5	Mixed-use	Amman municipality empty land	Yes	Football play area	No
6	Mixed-use	Leftover space	Yes	Women sitting at the doorsteps. Children play space	yes
7	Mixed-use	Leftover space	Yes	Public Car park	No
8	Residential	Leftover space	Yes	Play area, privately claimed car park	yes
9	Mixed-use	Leftover space	Yes	Play area, privately claimed car park	No
10	Commercial	Leftover space	Yes	Truck drop-off area, informal street stalls	yes
11	Residential	Leftover space	Yes	Children play area, privately claimed car park	No
12	Residential	Leftover space	Yes	Doorsteps sitting areas, privately claimed car park	No
13	Residential	Leftover space	Yes	Doorsteps sitting areas, children play area, privately claimed car park	No
14	Commercial	Leftover space	yes	Informal street stalls (very crowded)	yes

Figure 3. Types of pocket spaces in Al Wehdat refugee camp.

Figure 4. (a) An example of social square pocket (pocket number 1). (b) An example of street intersection commercial pocket (pocket number 10).

Figure 5. Pocket spaces in residential areas, (a) Residential courtyard pocket (pocket 12 in Figure 2), (b) Temporarily zoned pocket (pocket 4 in Figure 2).

Figure 6. Examples of pocket spaces in mixed-use areas. (a) Wide path pocket space (pocket 9). (b) Empty plot (pocket 5).

Table 2. Example of how the decision matrix was used to assess the potential of each pocket for revitalization, based on the observations in Table 1.

Pocket	Pocket size (m^2)	Space ownership	Existing reappropriation	Community reappropriation types	Potential for expansion	Total score
Importance factor	5	1	5	5	3
1	2 2*5 = 10	5 5*1 = 5	5 5*5 = 25	4 4*5 = 20	3 3*3 = 9	69
14	2 2*5 = 10	4 4*1 = 4	2 2*5 = 10	2 2*5 = 10	2 2*3 = 6	40

Figure 7. Al Mutamaizoon team small scale greening and painting dilapidated houses to improve the neighbourhood aesthetics. Images are courtesy of Rania Alkouz.

Figure 8. Al Mutamaizoon team painting Palestinian and Jordanian landmarks. (a) displays the phrase ‘’We will return’’ on a Palestinian landmark. (b) shows Palestinian traditional patterns with the ‘’Palestine’’ written on one of the residence homes. It also shows a painting of a woman wearing a Palestinian traditional dress and carrying a water jug on her head- a common task carried out by women in rural areas of Palestine in the past (c) shows the Roman columns in Jerash, a landmark in Jordan, which symbolise harmony with their host country.

Figure 9. (a) pocket 1 on map, (b) 1 picture of the fountain square.

Figure 10. (a) pocket 2 on map, (b) picture.

Figure 11. (a) pocket 3 on map, (b) pocket 3 picture.

Figure 12. (a) pocket 4 map, (b) pocket 4 picture.

Figure 13. Examples of some abandoned housing units in the camp.

Figure 14. (a) pocket 5 map, (b) pocket 5 picture.

Figure 15. (a) pocket 6 map, (b) pocket 6 picture.

Table 3. Summary of the community perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing the revitalization of pocket public spaces in Al Wehdat refugee camp.

Pocket	Main challenges facing spatial upgrades	Opportunity/suggested solutions	How can any interventions be maintained
Pocket 1	Lack of consideration by authorities towards limited public space	Relocation of utility room that was added in the middle of the space	Shared responsibility between camp authorities and shops’ owners
	High number of informal street stalls obstructing accessibility and creating a crowded environment	Organising Al Bastat with a plot-rent system, like was done Ras Al Ein project in Amman.	Affordable rent rates of the plots to improve infrastructure
	Lack of supervision and security	Introduce police/security and a project committee for formal procedures	Community involvement and young volunteers to sustain initiatives.
Pocket 2	Poor infrastructure and maintenance by authorities. Overall lack of governmental responsibility over the camp	Large empty space with mixed-use functions around it. The plot of land is owned by the UNRWA, making it possible to develop it for public use.	Community involvement and sense of ownership to encourage maintenance and preservation of public spaces
		Development of the area with greenery and proper paving to make it an inviting public space	Community involvement in the upkeep and preservation of the revitalised space
Pocket 3	Cars passing through the play area, endangering children	The semi-enclosed layout of the pocket makes it safer from cars than other areas. Regulating car circulation to maintain the area as a safe play space	Involvement of community in maintaining the space.
	Neighbours expanding their plots beyond allotted space, encroaching on limited public area	Encouraging neighbours to respect allotted space and avoid encroachment	Regular monitoring by authorities
Pocket 4	Car access within the limited space. Privately claimed by neighbours as their own space.	Clearing/renovating the abandoned building next to the pocket to expand on the community temporary events that are held within the space. Small-scale greening strategies	Community involvement is in the maintenance, decision-making, and execution of any upgrade’s projects.
Pocket 5	Health hazards and safety risks posed by waste dumping and crime	Large open space that can be turned into a park. Owned by the Amman municipality. Surrounded by NGO buildings- can offer supervision.	External supervision, such as a security guard or an activity centre for children within the park.
Pocket 6	Lack of public spaces where women can safely and comfortably socialise	A playground/park for Women and children only	Community supervision as well as external guards to maintain the upkeep.

Data availability statement

All data supporting the findings of this study are included within this article as supplementary appendices. These appendices provide detailed information on the following:

• Appendix A – Pocket Selection (Decision Matrix): This appendix presents the detailed decision matrix used to evaluate and select pockets for analysis. It includes criteria, scoring, and comments for each pocket, providing transparency into the pocket selection process.

• Appendix B – Samples of Thematic Analysis: This appendix offers a selection of thematic analysis samples, including verbatim excerpts from interviews or textual data. These samples illustrate the emergence of key themes and support the qualitative findings discussed in the manuscript.