The Urban Planning Department of the Jordanian capital Amman does not think much of the motto 'We've always done it this way, we won't change it'. Since 2020, it has been taking part in an international dialogue process on sustainable urban planning, facilitated by Connective Cities. This has involved sharing ideas with other urban planners from all over the world, and seeking external expertise from the network for the planning of a new district. In August 2022, an 11-member delegation from the Amman Urban Planning Department travelled to Germany to conclude this process, and collected numerous ideas on how to improve urban planning in Amman. Their itinerary included stops in Münster, Dortmund, Cologne and Frankfurt am Main.

A building code for Jordan

'We are currently drafting a national building code. We need one in order to provide all parties involved – from landowners to municipal planning offices – with greater legal certainty in urban and spatial planning,' explained Rima Odeh, Director of Comprehensive Planning in Amman. It is hoped that the Jordanian Parliament will vote on the draft next year. The delegation received some inspiration for possible content of the building code from (among others) Prof. Dr. Frank Othengrafen, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the Technical University of Dortmund. He explained the great importance attached in Germany to public participation in planning processes. He also explained how planners are required to reduce land consumption by law. This is being achieved for instance through the revitalisation of wasteland and inner-city densification.

Planning new districts

The population of Amman is growing rapidly. Therefore, new living space must be created continuously. The delegation gained some ideas for this in Münster, among other places. There they visited the York Quarter, which is currently being built on the site of a former British barracks. 'I find the integrated urban planning approach in the York Quarter very interesting. Here, traffic, the environment, housing needs and social aspects are considered together,' said one participant.

Ideas from Cologne – A municipal association and involvement of the private sector

In Cologne, the delegation visited the German Association of Cities, where they were very interested to hear about the tasks and responsibilities of municipal associations. Such associations do not exist in this form in Jordan. Holger Hoffschröer, managing partner of the architecture and planning office Reicher Haase Assoziierte, explained how in Germany the private sector is involved in urban planning processes through competitions. This approach met with great interest among the staff of the Amman Urban Planning Department, because in Jordan the municipality usually develops the plans itself.

Land consolidation and development planning in Frankfurt

As the last stop on their trip, the group visited Frankfurt am Main. Here too, they visited newly developed neighbourhoods and were surprised at how much time urban planning takes in Germany. In Jordan, planning is usually done much faster, but less attention is paid to the needs of citizens. From their visit to the City Surveyor's Office, the delegation took home with them a suggestion made in a lecture by Benedikt Post, Head of the Frankfurt City Surveyor's Office. He suggested setting up an office in the Amman Planning Department that was explicitly dedicated to land consolidation. This could reduce the hurdles that the municipality encounters time and time again, e.g. when landowners oppose the reorganisation of land.