“Urban planning plays an important and pivotal role in preserving Jabal Amman’s distinctive urban heritage while addressing contemporary challenges such as population growth, urban improvement, traffic congestion, among others. Hence, it is imperative to pay attention to the importance of civic participation by the people of area, especially the youth, as part of this planning, so that they have a say in determining their needs in order to shape their future.”
With these remarks, consultant at the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), Eng. Marah Al-Khayyat, presented the first panel discussion of the “Jabal Amman: Past, Present and Future” initiative, under the title: “Urban Planning”, which was held on Monday, October 28, 2024, where planning, heritage and urban development expert, Dr. Rami Al-Daher, and Eng. Dima Abu Diab, program coordinator at The United Nations Human Settlements Progrmme (UN-Habitat) and member of the Jabal Amman Committee (a committee launched by ARDD in partnership with multiple entities with diverse expertise to promote meaningful civic participation in the planning of Jabal Amman by developing a comprehensive and sustainable urban plan to revitalize the area).
This panel discussion comes within the activities of the “Hope is a Picture that’s Worth a Thousand Words” project, sponsored by the Swiss Embassy in Jordan, which will represent the past, present and future of Jabal Amman through the eyes of young photographers, who will participate in panel discussions with field experts on the important issues that the project focuses on, namely : Urban planning, environmental concerns, tourism development, social and cultural fabric, and economic development. Meanwhile, the results of the competition and panel discussions will be translated into policies based on the visions of young people for their participation in the development of their societies in all aspects.
During the speech he gave about Jabal Amman: “the neighborhood with its cosmopolitan nature and forgotten modernity”, Al-Daher described Amman as the city of “hats”, as it has set itself apart since its inception by opening its arms to people of all origins and beliefs, pointing out that Amman has set an example of brotherhood, coexistence, and social responsibility. In this context, Al-Daher called for highlighting the architectural identity of Amman as an authentic Arab city.
Al-Daher pointed out that the studies conducted about Amman in the early nineteenth century were not of real interest in working to highlight the city’s landmarks. He also saw that schools, hospitals, political parties and old hotels were an important part of the modernization project of Amman, which is the largest and most densely populated city in the Kingdom.
“The story of Amman is the story of its people,” he said, noting that it was schoolteachers, doctors and merchants who built Amma, stressing that the real danger to the Jabal Amman area lies in the lack of understanding of its historical heritage and social fabric, as well as the changes that are at odds with the cultural vibe of the area.
The expert emphasized the need for young people to have an active role in the city by protecting its heritage, shaping the future of their communities, and developing initiatives aimed at preserving its identity, specifically at this stage in the Jabal Amman neighborhood, explaining in a related context that community participation in urban planning improves the quality of life.
On the most prominent urban planning challenges for the city of Amman, Al-Daher explained that neglecting the participation of residents, monopolizing decision-making, in addition to the lack of work by regulatory and service bodies as an integrated team and the lack of funding are among the most important of these challenges, indicating that privatization has increased the obstacles faced by urban planning and its sustainability, in addition to the lack of involving multiple disciplines in urban planning, as it is usually limited to engineers and architects only, without considering other basic fields such as anthropology, geography, environmental sciences, and others.
On community participation in the urban planning process, Abu Diab stressed the importance of listening to the voice of young people in identifying needs, stressing the right of the community to participate in urban planning processes and setting priorities for development as a human right, with the need to focus on the including of all segments of society in this context.
Regarding UN-Habitat, Abu Diab pointed out that it works on the basis of the vision that community participation leads to a better urban future, as it supports the development of integrated, inclusive and sustainable cities and human settlements, capable of providing an adequate standard of living for children, youth, women and men, and that enjoy governance and resilience to shocks.
For their part, the youth participants in the session stressed the need to raise awareness among students in schools, universities and institutes about the importance of heritage and civilization, in addition to the importance of building and producing societal and cultural knowledge among young people, and to have a broader outlook and horizon to bring about positive change in society, whether at the local or national level, which is a national responsibility of governments and civil society, while warning of the need to have initiatives to qualify young men and women to engage in civil work.
According to the participants, there is a decline in the Arab world in terms of critical studies related to civilization, heritage and urban planning, noting that involving communities in the decision-making process related to urban planning empowers individuals to have a voice in decisions that affect their neighborhoods, streets and urban environments.
