Urban Envelope Implementation

I

The Amman Plan

Urban Envelope
Implementation
December 2010

III

The Amman Plan

Urban Envelope
Implementation

December 2010
DRAFT

IV
THE AMMAN PLAN

Planning for the Future – Get Involved

Planning for the future of Amman requires a partnership among all of us – citizens,
communities, governments and the private sector.

We welcome your feedback on this document.

Please contact us at:

Amman Institute for Urban Development
PO Box 9155
Al Madeenah District
Amman, Jordan
1191

Tel : +(962) 6 4621 829
Fax : +(962) 6 4651 703
www.ammaninstitute.org

V
THE AMMAN PLAN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Greater Amman Municipality
P.O. Box 132
12 – Ali Bin Abi Taleb Street
Hai Al-Muhajereen – Al Madeenah District
Amman, Jordan
www.ammancity.gov.jo

Amman Institute For Urban Development
PO Box 9155
Raghadan – Al Madeenah District
Amman, Jordan
1191
www.ammaninstitute.org

Planning Alliance
317 Adelaide Street, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON
Canada M5V 1P9
www.planningalliance.ca

VI
THE AMMAN PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

VIII LISTS

XI MESSAGES

15-27 1.THE AMMAN PLAN - OVERVIEW 15

1.A. OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE 16
1.B. AMMAN PLAN - METROPOLITAN GROWTH 18
1.C. PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES 20
1.D. PLANNING SCALES 22
1.E. RELATED INITIATIVES 24

27-131 2.URBAN ENVELOPE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 27

2.A. INTRODUCTION 28
2.A.1 INTENT OF THE PLAN 29
2.A.2 HOW TO USE THIS PLAN 30
2.B. PLAN ASSUMPTIONS 31
2.B.1 PLAN GEOGRAPHY 32
2.B.2 POPULATION GROWTH PROJECTIONS 34
2.B.3 EMPLOYMENT GROWTH PROJECTIONS 35
2.C. THE URBAN ENVELOPE PLAN 37
2.C.1.1 2025 CONCEPTUAL PLAN 38
2.C.1.2 NEIGHBOURHOOD CLASSIFICATION 40
2.C.2 COMPREHENSIVE AREA PLAN 44
2.C.3 COMPONENT PLANS 47
2.C.3.1 NATURAL HERITAGE 48
2.C.3.2 RESOURCE EXTRACTION 52
2.C.3.3 AGRICULTURE 56
2.C.3.4 CULTURAL HERITAGE 60
2.C.3.5 TRANSPORTATION AND TRANSIT 64
2.C.3.6 SETTLEMENT AND HOUSING 72
2.C.3.7 CORRIDORS AND CENTRES 76
2.C.3.8 EMPLOYMENT 82
2.C.3.9 SOCIAL FACILITIES 88
2.C.3.10 OPEN SPACE 98
2.D. DESIGNATIONS 102

VII
THE AMMAN PLAN

131 - 159 3. PHASING AND PRIORITY ACTION PLAN 131

3.A INTRODUCTION 133
3.B. PHASING PLAN AND POLICIES 134
3.B.1 INTRODUCTION 135
3.B.2 PHASING PLAN 136
3.B.2.1 Water Infrastructure Capacity 138
3.B.2.2 Waste Water Infrastructure Capacity 139
3.B.2.3 High Order Transit Capacity 140
3.B.3 PHASING, INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICING POLICIES 142
3.C. URBAN ENVELOPE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN –
POLICY PRIORITIES 147
3.D URBAN ENVELOPE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN –
RECOMMENDED DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESSES 159

VIII
THE AMMAN PLAN

LISTS

SCHEDULES
1.B • METROPOLITAN GROWTH PLAN 19
2.B.1.I • URBAN ENVELOPE 32
2.B.1.II • PLANNING AREAS, SERVICE AREAS AND NEIGHBOURHOODS 33
2.C.1.I • 2025 CONCEPTUAL PLAN 39
2.C.1.II • NEIGHBOURHOOD CLASSIFICATION 41
2.C.2 • COMPREHENSIVE AREA PLAN 45
2.C.3.1 • NATURAL HERITAGE 49
2.C.3.2 • RESOURCE EXTRACTION 53
2.C.3.3 • AGRICULTURE 57
2.C.3.4 • CULTURAL HERITAGE 61
2.C.3.5.I • TRANSPORTATION 65
2.C.3.5.II • TRANSIT 69
2.C.3.6 • SETTLEMENT AND HOUSING PLAN - RESIDENTIAL DENSITIES 73
2.C.3.7 • CORRIDORS AND CENTRES 77
2.C.3.8.I • EMPLOYMENT: COMMERCIAL 83
2.C.3.8.II • EMPLOYMENT: INDUSTRIAL 85
2.C.3.8.III • EMPLOYMENT: INSTITUTIONAL 87
2.C.3.10 • OPEN SPACE 99
3.B.2 • PHASING PLAN 137

Greater Amman Municipality – The Amman Plan - Urban Envelope Implementation – December 2010

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THE AMMAN PLAN

FIGURES
1.D • PLANNING SCALES 23
1.E • LOCATION OF APPROVED COMMUNITY PLANS 25
2.C.3.9.I • EXISTING SOCIAL FACILITIES - CENTRAL AREA 92
2.C.3.9.II • EXISTING SOCIAL FACILITIES - NORTH AREA 93
2.C.3.9.III • EXISTING SOCIAL FACILITIES - WEST AREA 94
2.C.3.9.IV • EXISTING SOCIAL FACILITIES - INNER SOUTH AREA 95
2.C.3.9.V • EXISTING SOCIAL FACILITIES - INNER EAST AREA 96
3.B.2.1 • WATER INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY TO ACCOMMODATE
GROWTH TO 2025 138
3.B.2.2 • WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY TO ACCOMMODATE
GROWTH TO 2025 139
3.B.2.3 • HIGH ORDER TRANSIT CAPACITY TO 2015 140


X


XI
THE AMMAN PLAN

MESSAGE

HM King Abdullah II

“To achieve the optimum balance of healthy growth and quality living, flourishing
expansion and organized districts, 21st century conveniences and traditional character,
we must embark on a serious and comprehensive project of city planning for Amman.”

Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein
Amman
5 Rabi’ Al Thani 1427 Hijri
3 May 2006


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XIII
THE AMMAN PLAN

MESSAGE

HE Mayor Omar Maani:

“Our City is a reflection of ourselves. It is our office to work in; it is our home to raise
a family in; and it is our playground to relax in. It is where we spend our lives”

All of us have seen Amman grow over the past several years with tremendous impact
on transportation and other services, including our Neighbourhoods and unique
cityscape. This development has been happening without a plan; we can no longer
afford to grow without direction for it will damage what is special about Amman and
we will miss opportunities to become a modern world city while retaining the soul of
our community.
The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has embarked on the preparation of the
Amman Plan, a comprehensive set of documents. This Plan will be the City’s blueprint
for sustainable development and will help Jordan achieve the objectives outlined by
the National Agenda. It will guide the growth of our community and address such
issues as the built and natural environment, culture and heritage, transportation and
infrastructure, and community development . . .

We are committed to preparing this Amman Plan based on community input so that
it reflects the aspirations of our citizens. Such aspirations begin with a Vision of what
we want our City to be, rather than just reacting to current problems . . .”

Mayor Omar Maani
Amman


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15

1.THE AMMAN PLAN
OVERVIEW
A. OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE
B. AMMAN METROPOLITAN GROWTH PLAN
C. PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES
D. PLANNING SCALES
E. RELATED INITIATIVES


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1. THE AMMAN PLAN - OVERVIEW

1.A. OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE

Amman is growing. With high rates of population growth and a unique geography,
the Greater Amman Municipality is faced with both unprecedented challenges
in managing the city’s lands and infrastructure and also offered exceptional
opportunities in revitalizing neighbourhoods and enhancing quality of life for all
of the city’s residents.

The Amman Plan allows the Greater Amman Municipality to both address these
challenges and seize the opportunities.

Comprised of several elements – from the Metropolitan Growth Plan to detailed
Community Plans – the Amman Plan provides guidance to decision makers,
investors and residents on the spatial and physical development of the city now
and in the future. It is based on a clear vision and principles and sets a framework
for both urban development and environmental protection for the benefit of
future generations in a balanced, efficient and humane manner. Its objectives are
long term in nature and the Plan presents the desired development form of the
City in the year 2025.

Each element of the Amman Plan reflects the following opportunities and
challenges:

Prioritizing Urban Growth: Amman is taking part in a major transition which
is occurring worldwide, where over half of the global population now lives in
cities. Attracted by economic potential, cultural amenities, and educational
opportunities, people are shifting from rural to urban ways of life. Planning for
urban growth is critical as our young population matures, and greater demands
rise for convenient jobs, housing, transit and social services in close proximity.

Controlling Sprawl: Amman has grown rapidly in the last 25 years. In that time,
the city’s landscape has changed dramatically, affecting the natural environment,
water resources, and prime agricultural lands. As growth continues into the future,
it is critical that we minimize negative impacts. By accommodating more growth
within existing neighbourhoods, and enhancing centres and corridors, the Plan
reduces pressures on agricultural and natural lands and it revitalizes existing urban
neighbourhoods as economic and social hubs. This equates to greater access to
more opportunity for all residents of Amman.

Conserving Resources: The Plan emphasizes the need to conserve limited
resources such as water, agricultural lands and natural areas in order to ensure
that meeting the demands of today’s generation does not compromise the needs
of Jordan’s future generations.

Planning For the Economy: The economic landscape of Amman is changing.
Prioritizing infrastructure investment, supporting high quality employment areas,
and planning for quality educational and social services are all important elements
to ensure that Amman is better equipped to seize new economic opportunities.


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1.B. AMMAN PLAN - METROPOLITAN GROWTH

The Metropolitan Growth Plan issued in 2008 by the Greater Amman
Municipality, establishes a physical planning and policy framework to guide the
strategic growth and development of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) to
the year 2025. The Plan establishes an overall growth management framework,
delineates an “urban envelope” within which the majority of population and
employment growth will occur to 2025, identifies policies and land uses for a
number of particular components and establishes guiding policies.

The comprehensive Metropolitan Growth Plan is shown in Schedule 1.B

The key mechanism employed by the Metropolitan Growth Plan to manage the
growth and development of Amman is to make better use of existing urban lands
through greater intensification, infill and higher density development along transit
corridors and nodes. At the same time, the growth plan establishes a process to
make wiser strategic choices when bringing new lands on the urban periphery into
urban development.

The Metropolitan Growth Plan offers a preferred direction for the city’s future
development, ensures the protection of cultural heritage, the environment,
agricultural lands and natural resources, and addresses the provision of
infrastructure and transportation services. The Plan was developed in consultation
with a broad cross-section of Amman society, and is founded in a set of consensus-
based planning and development principles (see Section 1.C).

The Metropolitan Growth Plan is the primary document which establishes
the basis of the Urban Envelope Implementation Plan. The Urban Envelope
Implementation Plan builds on the Metropolitan Growth Plan by providing more
specific land use designations, more detailed policy directions and recommends
additional mechanisms to allow the goals of the Metropolitan Growth Plan to be
achieved within the area defined as the Urban Envelope of Amman.

It is important to emphasize that the Urban Envelope Implementation Plan does
not address lands within the Greater Amman Municipality that are outside the
Urban Envelope boundary. This applies to urbanized or industrialized areas such
as Na’our, Al Mouwaqer, Al Jeezah and parts of Marj Al Hamam as well as the
rural, agricultural and desert areas that surround the Urban Envelope. A number
of policies and plans are in place to guide development in these areas and should
be referred to for further direction.


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Schedule 1.B
Metropolitan Growth Plan


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1.C. PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES

The Metropolitan Growth Plan sets forth a vision for the future and establishes
a set of planning and development principles. For more information about the
Metropolitan Growth Plan’s vision for the future of the City, see the Metropolitan
Growth Plan, Section 2.

The Planning and Development Principles which continue to guide the Urban
Envelope Implementation Plan are outlined below:

1. Plan for ‘complete communities’ that provide residents with a choice of
housing, a full range of urban amenities – parks, schools, clinics, and cultural
centres – and good accessibility to employment, shopping, and recreational
facilities.

2. Plan and develop ‘inclusive communities’ rather than segregated ones, by
allowing for different lifestyles, building typologies, and public spaces
that unite citizens from different socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic
backgrounds. Special care must be taken to accommodate people with
disabilities in the ‘built environment’ and in the provision of services such
as public transit.

3. Encourage compact urban growth in order to make the best use of existing
services, promote increased transit use, improve pedestrian accessibility, and
improve affordability for both the Greater Amman Municipality and its
residents.

4. Direct growth to both existing built-up area, in order to make the best use of
existing services, and to new designated expansion areas that are located close
to the urban core. Special attention must be paid to preserving the ‘organic
historic growth’ of the City and to providing conditions that replicate this
style of urban form.

5. Promote mixed land use in general, and a healthy mix of residential and
employment uses in particular, in order to foster a diverse economy and to
limit commuting times. This mixed-use development will be promoted in all
socioeconomic sectors of society.

6. Promote clear distinctions between urban, suburban, and traditional
communities in order to protect valuable environmental and agricultural
lands and to support traditional lifestyles and culture.

7. Focus GAM’s transportation policy on moving people and goods, rather than
moving vehicles. Promote public transit and develop a transportation system
that offers residents choices for going shopping, going to work, taking time
off to relax or play, and getting back home again. Provide for a safe and
convenient pedestrian environment that is integrated with other modes of
transportation.

8. Create a connected ‘Natural Heritage System’ that protects and connects
important environmental features – forests, wadis, highlands, deserts, and
aquifers – at the same time as it accommodates a network of public walking
trails throughout the City. An urban parks system will be an integral part of
the Natural Heritage System, including neighbourhood parks, playgrounds,
and large open green spaces within the urban setting.

9. Conserve the ‘cultural heritage’ of the City, including modern and ancient
heritage, and promote it as an integral part of the overall contemporary
metropolitan living experience.

10. Promote ‘sustainable development practices’ and encourage environment-
friendly ‘green building’ standards that minimize the City’s carbon footprint
on the global community.


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1.D. PLANNING SCALES

The Amman Plan presents a somewhat unorthodox approach to metropolitan,
urban area and community planning. Conventional “master plans” are typically
structured from the top down – from the larger, metropolitan scale down to the
small, community scale - in a progressively more detailed sequence. The Amman
Plan is being created at all scales simultaneously - from both the top down and
the bottom up - as well as focusing on different sectoral issues, from corridor
intensification to industrial land policy. Each scale responds to different questions
and challenges. This flexibility allows the City of Amman to respond to particular
priorities or development pressures in a timely fashion.

Figure 1.D illustrates the three different scales which The Amman Plan works at:

Metropolitan Scale

The metropolitan scale relates to the entire 1,662-square-kilometre Greater
Amman Municiaplity Area and is the scale of the Metropolitan Growth Plan.

Urban Area Scale

The Metropolitan Planning Area is subdivided into eight Planning Areas where a
finer scale of planning can be undertaken. Five of the Planning Areas fall within
Amman’s Urban Envelope, which is approximatly 630 squares kilometres in size
and where the majority of future growth will be directed to 2025.

Community Scale

The community scale relates to areas and neighbourhoods where the greatest
level of plan specificity can be achieved. There are 170 neighbourhoods within
the Urban Envelope and 228 overall within the Greater Amman Municipality.
Community Plans within or across these neighbourhoods provide detailed
planning and design proposals, including recommended zoning.


23
Figure 1.D
Planning Scales

METROPOLITAN SCALE
Metropolitan Growth Plan

URBAN AREA SCALE
Urban Envelope Implementation Plan

COMMUNITY SCALE
Arafat Node Community Plan


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1.E. RELATED INITIATIVES

In addition to building on the Metropolitan Growth Plan, the Urban Envelope
Implementation Plan presented in this document builds on and is complemented
by a series of accompanying plans, studies and other initiatives that have been
generated since 2006. Together this body of work forms The Amman Plan.

Figure 1.E. depicts approved plans that guide planning and decision-making at a
detailed neighbourhood level and must be consulted for land use matters relating
to this particular geography.

For additional direction, background and guidance on sectoral and land-use
planning matters, users of the Urban Envelope Implementation Plan are also
recommended to consult other plans and studies that have been prepared by the
Greater Amman Municipality since 2006:

• Amman Plan for Tall Buildings – Interim Growth Strategy, February 2007
• Amman Development Corridor Master Plan – Corridors Intensification
Strategy, June 2007
• Interim Industrial Land Policy, August 2007
• Airport Corridor Plan, October 2007
• Outlying Settlement Policy – Rural Growth Centres, October 2007

In addition, work that was undertaken in the following areas has also informed
the preparation of this Plan:

• Downtown Development Plan
• Capital Parkway Community Plan
• Ras Al Ain Community Plan
• Al Jusur Al Ashra Community Plan
• Magabalien Community Plan
• Metro Park Community Plan
• South Park/ Yadoudah Community Plan
• Southern Gateway Community Plan
• Amman Development Corridor Master Plan Study
• Amman Area Plan - Cultural Heritage and Antiquities
• Transportation and Mobility Master Plan
• Planning for Heritage Protection Study

This Plan was also informed by the proposed new Zoning Bylaw for the City of
Amman which is still in development at this time. The permitted and recommended
land uses that are proposed in the Plan make reference to the draft version of the
new Zoning Bylaw, pre-final version as of July 2010, and a significant attempt has
been made to align the Plan with the Bylaw.


25
Figure 1.E
Location of Approved Community Plans

1. Al Kindi Street Corridor 8. Queen Alia Airport Road Corridor
2. Shaker Bin Zaid Street Corridor 9. King Abdullah II Corridor
3. Hussein Bin Ali Street Corridor 10. Mecca / King Abdullah II intersection
4. Arar Street Corridor 11. HDMU Site A
5. Mecca Street Corridor 12. HDMU Site C
6. Queen Rania Queen Alia University Corridor 13. Arafat Node Community Plan
7. Abdullah Ghosheh Street Corridor 14. Abdali


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27

2.URBAN ENVELOPE
IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN
A. INTRODUCTION
B. PLAN ASSUMPTIONS
C. THE URBAN ENVELOPE PLAN
D. DESIGNATIONS


A. INTRODUCTION
2.A. INTRODUCTION
2.A.1 INTENT OF THE PLAN
2,A.2 HOW TO USE THIS PLAN


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2. URBAN ENVELOPE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

2.A.1 INTENT OF THE PLAN

The Urban Envelope Implementation Plan is intended to serve as a mechanism to
implement the Metropolitan Growth Plan and should be read in conjunction with
that document. The Urban Envelope Implementation Plan converts the strategic
directions of the Metropolitan Growth Plan for the geography of the Amman
Summary Report
Urban Envelope into an integrated set of schedules, designations, definitions, and
policies. Lands outside of the Urban Envelope are guided by other policies and
THE AMMAN PLAN plans which guide matters for those areas.

The Urban Envelope Implementation Plan is intended to serve several purposes:
Metropolitan • it informs and guides decisions on development applications within the
Urban Envelope;
Growth • it helps to guide the development of more detailed community plans and
zoning;
• it creates a mechanism for coordination across different departments within
the Greater Amman Municipality, as well as with National government
ministries and agencies as well as utility companies; and
• It provides a basis for establishing priorities for servicing and infrastructure
investment and other work programming.

Part 1 of this document provides an overview of the Amman Plan which forms
Amman Metropolitan Growth Plan, 2008 the basis for this Plan.

Part 2 contains the land-use planning provisions of the Plan and is organized in
four main sections:
The Amman Plan • Section A introduces the Plan’s intent and structure
Urban Envelope • Section B provides base information on the Plan’s applicable geography and
Implementation Plan demographic assumptions.
• Section C contains the 2025 conceptual growth plan, comprehensive area
plan and individual component plans, including schedules, figures and
policies.
• Section D contains definitions and proposed uses for each of the designations
illustrated in the plan’s schedules.

Part 3 provides recommended priorities for phasing and servicing to achieve the
Plan.

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy at the broader scale of
the Urban Envelope area, the geographical information depicted graphically
in the schedules of the Plan is conceptual only. For the assessment of detailed
development applications, additional verification will be required. Extension of
rights granted within this Plan is subject to cadastral survey results.
Phase II Report – Summer 2010
DRAFT
To the extent possible, the recommended land uses presented in this Plan reflect
Urban Envelope Implementation Plan, existing regulatory provisions (zoning) and respect current development rights.
2010 Additional zoning is to be established within more detailed Community Plans,
though this Plan may recommend some areas within the Urban Envelope that
require re-zoning. In any situation where development applications have an
existing as-of-right that is not reflected in a broad land use designation identified
in a schedule of this Plan, it is recommended that any discrepancy be reviewed on
*Annexes which add supplementary a case-by-case basis through the development review process.
information to aid in the implementation of
this Plan are provided separately.


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2. URBAN ENVELOPE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

2.A.2 HOW TO USE THIS PLAN

The Urban Envelope Implementation Plan is a reference tool to guide development
within the Amman Urban Envelope to 2025. The Plan is comprised of an
integrated set of Schedules, Figures, Designations and Policies. Taken together,
these constituent elements provide direction on land use and infrastructure
decisions, for the purpose of both reviewing development applications and for
prioritizing the City of Amman’s capital investment program.

Section 2 includes the following key elements:

• A Conceptual Plan to 2025 which portrays the Plan’s future vision and
articulates direction for spatial development in the urban envelope in a
schematic way;

• A Comprehensive Area Plan which depicts the full set of aggregated land
uses and overlay designations in one schedule and provides general direction
on the plan’s implementation; and

• Ten Component Plans which contain more detailed mapping, descriptions
and policies for each designation that appears in the Comprehensive Area
Plan.

Each of these elements incorporates Schedules and Figures, which are made up of
individual Designations and accompanied by guiding Policies.

Schedules physically and spatially depict the designations in the Plan. Schedules
are used to guide planning and development decisions and may reflect both
existing and proposed land uses. The designations depicted in schedules are
conceptual only and require detailed cadastral surveys to properly reflect property
and build-to lines. Figures are included for information purposes only to illustrate
additional background data that can assist decision makers.

Designations are defined and explained in Section 2.D of the Plan. Each
designation includes a description, along with proposed and permitted uses that
are linked to current regulatory standards, as well as additional clarifying notes.
Designations are depicted in the Plan’s Schedules and Figures. The definition
and uses associated with each designation serve as an important tool to guide
development review.

Policies accompany each schedule and provide general provisions, establish
standards or propose processes to be followed by the Greater Amman Municipality
and other authorities to achieve the objectives depicted in the Plan’s Schedules.

The Schedules, Figures, Designations and Policies are to be read in their entirety
and taken together they form the body of the Plan.

This Plan is to be read within the context and planning regime established by the
Metropolitan Growth Plan, 2008.


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