Amman Interim Growth Strategy
Amman Interim Growth Strategy intended as guide to sustainable development strategy over the next 20 years, was recently revealed by Greater Amman Municipality. The strategy addresses such issues as the built and natural environment, transportation, public transit, infrastructure and other community services.
The first phase of this plan deals with High Density Mixed Use Towers (HDMU). The HDMU strategy undertook a comprehensive analysis of the city to designate appropriate locations for such developments.
The designation of the areas took into consideration the capacity of Amman’s roads and infrastructure, preservation of heritage and stable neighborhoods, greening the City, creating a pedestrian friendly environment, preserving view planes, and locating towers in areas suitably so that they add to the character of Amman, and do not detract from the City’s unique urban fabric.
Areas designated within the plan as Tower Development Areas include:
Amman’s New Central Business District (CBD): Abdali development site which is envisioned as the center for finance and commerce in Jordan. It will consist of a mixed-use development, ranging from office, commercial, hotel and residential development, public parks, new municipal library and other facilities.
Central Parkway: proposed, with four clusters of mid-rise developments nested in a park setting along the wadi corridor below the extension bridge.
Amman Northern Gateway: located in Al-Jubayhah along the Jordan Road, a new major expressway linking the Central City with the North, where this area is already experiencing a considerable degree of new development.
Amman Southern Gateway: Four nodes of tower developments are proposed in the wadis of the area adjacent of the Airport road and framed by Wadi Abdoun Corridor Road and Jabal Arafat Road. The centre of the area has been reserved for a major shopping street surrounded by low density development; high density clusters are located on the periphery of the area.
Mayor Maani explained that tower developers will be expected to pay their equitable share of required infrastructure improvements to service these developments. In addition, some of the financial windfall realized by land owners will revert back to the community in the form of a ‘purchase of development rights’ policy. In essence, land owners wanting to develop towers in the designated areas will have to “purchase” these development rights from the Greater Amman Municipality; monies received by GAM will then be used for community development efforts such as preserving heritage areas and buildings, improving cultural facilities, creating parks and public meeting places, retrofitting public facilities for the disabled and improving the city’s overall infrastructure.
In brief, this growth plan shall form the cornerstone towards a well thought of, long-term, sustainable real estate and community development. In our own words, the plan created a win-win mechanism and platform both for Amman City and private investors; funds generated from private investors and land owners shall be channeled towards the infrastructure and community development where the same investors will benefit at a later stage from revenues generated through their real estate projects.
This model coupled with a relatively liberal Jordanian marketplace, Investment incentives on mixed use development projects, liquid surplus generated from rocketing oil prices which are expected to remain at these levels, at least in the midterm, will eventually create required dynamics for these investment opportunities to materialize. This in turn shall create greater demand towards all players in the construction industry; Project Management Consultants, Architects Planners and Engineering consultants, General and Specialty contractors, Construction Materials suppliers and vendors, Cost Consultants, and many other service providers within the industry.
To cope with this increased demand, the need for caliber human resources is destined to increase within the industry; yet the scale of these projects will again create greater demand towards the upbringing of qualified, competent, proficient and talented human capital capable of addressing these challenges in the years to come. This in itself is foreseen as a collaborative effort between the Jordanian educational structure, the private sector human capital development initiatives, the transfer of knowledge of national firms and local caliber resources with international exposure, alliances and partnership with renowned international service providers and most importantly Human Capital own initiatives towards self development.
It is important, that all of the above entities, operating in the construction industry embrace the Amman Interim Growth strategy as a guide line while considering their own strategic development plans and more specifically towards their HR development strategy.