GAM CDS Urban Planning Presentation to the Mayor and to the City Beautification Commission Amman, Ci

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GAM CDSUrban PlanningPresentation to the Mayor
and to the City Beautification Commission Amman,
City Hall, 3 May 2006by Angelo DUrsoUrban
Planning Specialist
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THE BACKGROUND -1 THE PLANNING AND ZONING
SITUATION

• During the period 1955-1987 four Master Plans
  were prepared for Amman. The last one was the
  Greater Amman Comprehensive Development Plan
  (1987-2005) The common feature of these plans was
  the ring and radial road system which has been
  the only aspect actually implemented
• This scarce implementation approach led to
• The development of Amman through zoning ( fitting
  residential and other land use zones over the
  abovementioned ring and radial road system)
• At the end of 2005 the zoned areas were 62.2 of
  total GAM areas. The zoning growing rate is about
  2 per year
• The radial ad ring road system allowed the city
  to grow without major traffic problems. However,
  the constant increase of traffic volumes and the
  weakness of the public transport are becoming a
  critical issue for the further development of the
  town

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THE BACKGROUND-2THE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK

• In general terms, the existing planning
  legislation is sound, however certain weaknesses
  need to be addressed
• The existing planning law (79/1966) refers to
  Structure Plans (which deal mainly with land
  use and infrastructures).
• The existing legislation provides for building
  standards (Law 67/1979) not for Urban Planning
  Standards
• The existing legislation does not provide a
  coordination mechanism among public utilities
  (the GAM has planning authority only on road
  infrastructures and land use)
• The law enforcement is weak due also to the lack
  of Codes and Manuals allowing to read each law in
  conjunction with other laws

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THE BACKGROUND-3THE PLANNING ADMINISTRATION

• The GAM Departments directly linked with urban
  planning are the Planning and the Zoning
  Departments. The work performed by these
  Departments is considerable, however they are
  facing problems and weaknesses.
• The problems are mainly due to external factors
  and relate to the existing legislation and
  planning framework
• The weaknesses are due to internal factors and
  relate to the weaknesses of human and
  technological resources and to the poor
  coordination between the Departments.

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THE BACKGROUND - 4 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

• The public participation has been scarce in the
  past.
• In 2004, GAM received 1,218 complaints. The
  majority of complaints pertained to cleanness
  (50.6), city lighting (16.4), waste and debris
  (14.8). Notwithstanding the scarce numbers,
  these data show that the Amman citizens are very
  keen about their living conditions.
• At the present there are 4 forms available for
  citizens participation
• Complaints
• Public meetings with the Mayor and Council
  Members
• Awareness campaigns
• The objection mechanism for structural plans and
  zoning plans.
• In order to widen the public participation, the
  CDS has been prepared through a participatory
  approach involving a wide group of stakeholders,
  civil society representatives and media

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THE BACKGROUND- 5 COORDINATION WITH PUBLIC
UTILITIES

• There are two main problems in the
  relationships between GAM and the public
  utilities
• Lack of coordination, and
• Lack of involvement.
• Although a coordination mechanism is in place,
  the coordination between GAM and the service
  utilities is still weak because
• The GAM cannot plan infrastructures other than
  roads because water, power and communication
  schemes do not fall under its authority
• There are no service corridors within the GAM
  road reserves
• The involvement of the service utilities to urban
  planning is scarce
• There is lack of Data Base regarding the
  alignment of service infrastructures lying
  underground .

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THE BACKGROUND 6THE INVOLVEMENT OF PRIVATE
SECTOR

• The level of involvement of private sector is
  poor because
• The experience of economic operators and
  professional associations is not fully utilized
  
• There are no Codes for professional practice
• The role of planner is limited to the design of
  general layouts of interventions within single
  plots.

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THE EXISTING SITUATION-1.

• The cumulative effects of external factors
  (immigration, weaknesses in the legislative and
  lack of planning tools), and internal factors
  (institutional weaknesses) led to the creation
  of several problems in the urban development of
  Amman. These can be summarized as follows
• Weak public transport system (1999 data taxis
  23.8 minibuses 4.8 buses 0.8 private
  71.2)
• Lack of regional and inter-modal transportation
  systems
• Increased vehicular traffic (during the period
  1999-2005 the increase varied from 11 to 40)
• Insufficiency of parking areas (number of
  vehicles per household gt1)
• Scarce public safety
• Scarcity of green areas ( the share is 4.8
  m2/inh. out of which 2.4 existing and 2.4
  planned)

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THE EXISTING SITUATION -2

• Weak urban design and heritage conservation
• Urban sprawl (increase of low density
  residential areas and increase of car
  dependency)
• Water shortage and pollution (increase of paved
  surfaces and over abstraction from aquifers
  leading to pollution of water sources and to
  reduced recharge capacity)
• Encroachment of agricultural land. The
  agricultural land of the country represents only
  6 of its total area (around 5.400 Sq. Km.)
  Within the Central Region there are 3,000 Sq. Km
  of agricultural land already organized
• Informal settlements (there about 40 informal
  settlements around Amman. In almost all
  settlements there are no schools, no health
  centers, no community spaces, nor green areas)
• High prices of land (The main factor impeding the
  satisfaction of low cost housing in Amman is the
  high price of land. At the present, the incidence
  of land cost on total house cost is around 50).

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RecommendationsTHE STRATEGY

• The formulation of the CDS and the occasion of
  the East Amman Development Corridor provide a
  good opportunity to plan the future asset of
  Amman. A set of recommendations can be
  formulated
• Strengthen and enforce the legislation framework
• Increase the level of participation
• Increase the level of coordination
• Reorganize and strengthen the GAM planning
  administration
• Prepare a new GAM Comprehensive Master
  Development Plan
• Implement priority Action Plans

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1. STRENGTHEN AND ENFORCE THE LEGISLATION
FRAMEWORK

• The strengthened legislation should
• Include the concept of Master Development Plan
• Include the concept that Detailed Plans have to
  be conceived only within the framework of an
  approved Planning Framework (Master Development
  Plans).
• Include the need of preparing feasibility studies
  for big development projects
• Establish the Urban Planning Standards
• Establish Planning and Building Codes
• Remove the inconsistencies between laws
• Enforce the laws
• Start enhancing a land policy encompassing land
  valuation, taxation and management

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2. INCREASE THE LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION

• The diagnosis show that the key factor for
  involving the general public in wider issues is
  to provide prompt answers to the citizens needs
  and ameliorate the living conditions in the town.
• This means that it is possible to get public
  participation but, at the same time, there is
  need to switch the focus from a demanding
  behavior to a participating behavior through a
  day- by-day communication strategy able to
  construct a common trust starting from the
  resolution of small problems and giving the
  concrete impression that the GAM is the partner
  of citizens in their wellness.

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3. INCREASE THE LEVEL OF COORDINATION

• The weaknesses identified in the coordination
  with public utilities may be solved through
• The strengthening of the existing coordination
  mechanism
• The implementation of commonly shared decision
  mechanisms
• The implementation of service corridors along
  the roads assigning specific spaces to each
  utility
• The preparation of work schedules for project
  interventions agreed with the service utilities
• The preparation of feasibility studies for big
  investment projects
• The creation of a Data Base regarding the
  alignment of underground infrastructures

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4. REORGANIZE THE PLANNING ADMINISTRATION

• The roles and the re-organization of the two
  Departments depends from the implementation of
  the following measures
• A new approved Comprehensive Master Development
  Plan within the context of a strengthened
  legislation
• An implemented strategy defining the vision and
  role of the town for the next future
• An established operational framework (i.e. the
  Urban Planning standards).
• The creation of an unified GIS system allowing a
  good knowledge of GAM territory and prompt
  decision making
• Upon the establishment of such measures the
  roles and structures of the two departments will
  be defined and relevant structures strengthened
  with appropriate human and technological resources

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5. PREPARE A NEW COMPREHENSIVE MASTER DEVELOPMENT
PLAN FOR THE GAM

• A new Comprehensive Master Development Plan
  shared among all stakeholders and included in a
  strengthened legislation and policy framework is
  needed for the harmonized growth of GAM
• The Plan will include a set of policies,
  researches, studies, standards, guides, Action
  Plans and Special Plans which will be approved
  together with it and constitute an unique
  planning and development document.
• The new Master Plan has necessarily to be
  coordinated with the East Amman Corridor Master
  Plan in order to avoid duplications and
  discrepancies between urban planning policies
  within the same area

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6. IMPLEMENT PRIORITY ACTIONS

• The new Master Plan will be implemented through a
  series of priority actions including
• The establishment of a public transport policy
• The establishment of a regional and inter-modal
  transportation policy
• The introduction of traffic control and
  management measures
• The review of parking standards and introduction
  of parking control policies
• The establishment of down zoning policies to
  overcome high land price in conjunction with a
  revised land policy .
• The implementation of city upgrading projects in
  coordination with concerned authorities (HUDC,
  DPA, etc.).
• The establishment of good planning policies in
  order to
• Avoid encroachment and destruction of
  agricultural land
• Avoid water shortage and pollution.
• Control urban sprawl.
• Establish urban design and conservation policies
• Increase the green areas
• Increase the public safety with a better road
  and sidewalk design

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THE VISION

• The new Comprehensive Master Plan should entail
  an urban development that creates a town with the
  following characteristics
• Better public transport and integrated regional
  transport
• Reduced and controlled traffic
• Better housing opportunities for low income
  population sector
• Upgraded informal settlements integrated within
  the urban fabric
• Clear, regulated and favorable environment for
  private sector investments
• Conserved agricultural land
• Preserved quantity and quality of water resources
• Controlled urban sprawl
• Strong identity and preservation of cultural
  heritage
• Increased green areas
• Increase public safety
• In other words the future Amman should be a
  green, friendly and safe town proud of its
  identity, keeping pace with the progress and
  playing an important role within the regional
  context.