Khaberni - The Greater Amman Municipality has launched the new planning and regulation system within its boundaries, in a strategic step aimed at shaping the future of the capital, Amman.
The municipality stated in a statement today, Sunday, that the system, based on its law and integrated with national policies, aims to achieve a comprehensive future vision for Amman, through developing planning and regulation processes, and providing a legislative environment supportive of a future filled with modernity and sustainability.
The new system comes in response to an urgent need for more equitable regulation, thoughtful urban growth, and simplification of procedures that serve both citizens and investors.
The development of this system aims to address existing challenges and enhance urban development in the capital, pointing out that the need for better and more just regulation was a main motive, aiming to reduce developmental gaps among different neighborhoods of the capital and ensure an equitable distribution of services.
The system aims to guide urban growth in a sustainable and thoughtful way, ensuring optimal use of resources and limiting random decisions that do not serve the city's interest in the long run, in addition to simplifying procedures, reducing bureaucratic complexities, and clarifying roles between the municipality and other governmental bodies, to improve coordination and facilitate the lives of citizens.
According to the statement, the new system is built on a set of core values that will guide the planning and development process in Amman, most notably comprehensive planning, to ensure the balance of the city with all its demographic, urban, and environmental components, and community partnership, emphasizing that the voice and opinions of the people are an integral part of the decision-making and gradual implementation process through adopting an ambitious future planning methodology, implemented gradually to achieve tangible and real results.
The new system features an integrated system that includes legislative, institutional, and electronic aspects, and will be linked to an advanced system for issuing building permits and monitoring them, and it clearly differentiates between the concepts of planning and regulation, where planning is done in a scientific and strategic way to draw future visions, while regulation sets detailed rules for land uses within planned areas, and the new planning methodology is based on 3 graded levels.
The system relies on the comprehensive plan of the city, which is a strategic spatial growth plan defining the general policies for the city's growth economically, socially, and environmentally, area plans covering planning strategies for one or more areas within the municipality, and neighborhood plans that are regulatory detailed plans defining precisely land uses, distribution of services, road networks, and facilities within each neighborhood.
Each plan is built based on data, statistics, and field observations, using artificial intelligence technologies and full coordination with concerned authorities and all stakeholders, in addition to involving citizens in all stages of plan preparation through institutional mechanisms for consultation and public hearing sessions, taking into account the needs of all population groups without exception.
The system aims to simplify procedures for land and building division according to clear standards applied by a specialized team from the municipality, and it organizes the mechanism for submitting objections transparently, granting those affected by regulatory decisions the right to object within specified periods and procedures, and the system strives to provide legal stability through clear authority and transparency in the decision-making process.
The municipality emphasized that transparency and participation in decision-making are enhanced through the involvement of representatives of the community and various institutions in preparing the plans to ensure they are built on consensus and not individual decisions, pointing out that the powers and responsibilities have been clearly defined for all entities involved in the planning and implementation process.
The system obliges the municipality to organize public hearing sessions before adopting any plans or regulatory amendments, with the publication of all information and decisions related to the plans on the official website of the municipality to ensure easy access.
The new system carries promising developmental and investment dimensions, as it supports climate action and sustainability through encouraging environmentally friendly projects and green buildings, and seeks to integrate modern technologies in managing the smart city, such as digital planning and geographic information systems, and it aims to encourage various investments through specialized teams and new procedures to support local, regional, and international investment.
The system simplifies procedures for economic activities of all sizes, and reduces unnecessary administrative complexities and costs.
The system also provides tangible benefits for citizens and investors alike, including legal stability which enhances confidence through the clarity of legislation and procedures, as well as long-term planning enabling individuals and developers to be aware of the expected uses of lands surrounding their projects, thus improving future planning, in addition to simplified procedures making the processes clearer, faster, and within specific time frames.
Furthermore, the system contributes and participates in improving neighborhoods, ensuring citizen participation in decisions related to improving the quality of life in their neighborhoods in terms of services, facilities, and traffic.
The municipality confirmed that the system will be implemented gradually to ensure a smooth transition, and the current regulatory plans will continue to be operational to respect acquired rights and the existing reality, pointing out that a transitional phase has been allocated to provide sufficient time for citizens and developers to adapt to the new provisions.
The public will be pre-informed about any regulatory changes through official announcements and hearing sessions, and the municipality will issue detailed instructions later to support the application of the system and publish it transparently, with the preparation of the institutional and electronic infrastructure and work teams to ensure a fair and consistent implementation of the new system.
