Controlled Urban Growth & Tourism Development Master Plan Study for Ajloun Tourism Development Area
Client : Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan (MOTA)
Location : Ajloun- Jordan
Joint Venture : G&G Consulting Ltd.Sti, UTTA (Turkey) & Tibah, Jordan River Foundation (Jordan). Funded by the World Bank
Year : 2004- 2005
The study commenced with researching a vision and strategies for the Study Area which depended on ample research addressing location, geography and topography; demography and community composition; economy (agriculture, industry, the service sector including commerce and tourism); employment; and infrastructure (including water and sewage network, solid waste collection, power/electricity network, transportation, and telecommunication). The Study also addressed researching the existing administrative and institutional structure within the Governorate and Municipality of Ajloun. The Study also addressed the research of natural, cultural, historical, and heritage contexts in addition to the urbanization and development in Ajloun, Anjara, and Ain Jannah.
Declaration of a Protection Zone
At the heart of the above multi-sectoral approach lies the protection of the natural environment, historical and heritage assets, through the declaration of a special protection zone within the boundaries of the Ajloun, Ain Janna and Anjara Study Area, which extends beyond the approved Land Use Plan boundaries of the three towns. The extended areas are presently natural forests and unspoiled countryside that needed to be persevered to prevent future urban encroachment which would damage the natural and heritage assets within the area. Detailed stakeholder analysis were conducted prior to coming up with a complete SWOT analysis of the various contexts in the Study Area. One major outcome of the Study was the development of a controlled urban growth and tourism development master plan for the Study Area with its multiple land use infrastructure and other calculations.
Action Projects
Several action projects, in terms of preliminary architectural concepts and feasibility analysis, were developed in different places within the Study Area and beyond. They included Ajloun Tourism Development Zone; Ajloun Nature Corridor, Hai al Maqatish Urban Tourism Adaptive Reuse Project, Anjara Organized Small Size Area, Ajloun Municipality Capacity Building and Training Project, Wast al Balad Downtown Ajloun Vegetable Market and Bus Terminal Project to mention a few.