Jabal al-Qal'a Neighborhood Improvement Participatory Project

Jabal al-Qal'a Neighborhood Improvement Participatory Project was a pilot community-based planning project that addressed the disengagement of local communities from the decision-making process that has a direct impact on their daily lives. The project was undertaken by the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and the Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE) to upgrade a focus area within the Jabal al-Qal'a neighborhood) while engaging the residents in a participatory discourse.

The project was the first phase of a larger project that aimed at engaging the local communities in Amman in the planning process and making recommendations for GAM to better connect with its constituencies. The focus of this activity in Jabal al-Qal'a, overlooking the Raghadan Complex, was to better engage people in the process of developing urban spaces that would affect their daily lives. The result proposed a set of improvement initiatives to be considered by GAM based on the community's input.

The project started in October 2006. Throughout the project, CSBE's role was a liaison between GAM and the community, by helping the latter create a vision for itself and communicate its concerns to GAM. By implementing the activities of this project CSBE has engaged the public and the private sectors and introduced them to the participatory planning approach.

Click here to download a PDF presentation that provides more detailed information on the project.

Project Team:
Hania Maraqa, Associate Director (up to February 2007)
Siba al-Shouli, Urban Planning Officer (2006-2007)
Israa Thiab, Coordination Officer (2006-2007)
Lara Zureikat, Associate Director (from March 2007)