Spatial and Environmental Planning Challenges in Amman, Jordan

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to identify the key spatial and environmental housing related challenges facing Amman and to consider them in the context of past, present and future planning policies. The paper reports on face-to-face, in-depth interviews conducted with planning professionals based in Amman, designed to explore their concerns regarding current planning issues and their proposals for addressing them. Information from local and international literature has been used to contextualize the findings. The study revealed that current planning legislation, poorly implemented, has resulted in uncontrolled land use, water shortages, increased energy consumption, road congestion, air pollution, and ineffective waste management. The research identified a range of policies proposed by planning professionals for ameliorating past errors and providing a more sustainable and healthy environment. These proposals include: an enforceable legal framework, updated planning and design regulations, private/public partnerships, the enhancement of public participation and greater professionalization of the planning sector. The paper concludes by benchmarking these against the aims of the latest planning policy document, Amman 2025.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the interviewees in Amman for their time and their efforts in providing information to contribute to this work.

Notes

1. At national level Jordan established the Higher Planning Council (HPC) to undertake public policies in terms of urban planning and land use. It is also concerned with approving local and regional plans.

2. At regional level planning is concerned with achieving the recommendations of public policy, taking into account the spatial dimensions of socio-economic development in the regions. At regional level Jordan was divided into three regions, namely: middle region, north region and south region.

3. At local level the Town and Country Planning Act can be considered as a framework to empower the authority to undertake a wide range of functions. The planning powers of local authorities were stipulated in the act itself. To carry out this function, the local authority has to prepare a two-tier development plan for the purpose of organising, controlling and planning in its area. Strategic or policy decisions are to be incorporated into master plans while detailed decisions are to be laid out in the local plan. However, the responsibility of local committee also includes granting or refusing any planning application in its area.

4. Down zoning in Jordan is based on dividing an area into different zones from up to down by its local authority.This allows determining patterns of land use for each zone, in particular residential densities. The broad objective of approach in Jordan is to ensure orderly development of urban areas, rather than maintenance of agricultural land. It is still a key tool used by local planning authorities to manage land use and development.

5. Building standards stipulate how the settlement should look like in terms of quality, while building regulations are rules that allow or disallow activities on the plot or in an area; or prescribe the way the plot can be developed or used. They include zoning controls.