AMMAN — Head of Engineering
Offices and Companies at the Jordan Engineers Association Abdullah Ghosheh warned
against borrowing to fund the construction of the new city planned by the
government, especially given the Kingdom’s high public debt.
اضافة اعلان
After Egypt relied on loans to
establish a new administrative city, the Egyptian pound collapsed, Ghosheh told
Khaberni on Wednesday, stressing the importance of benefiting from past
experiences as well, citing the example of an integrated residential city project
in Zarqa. Jordan should also consult with international real estate companies
in neighboring cities, he said.
The government should not skip to
discussing the details of the city before completing economic, environmental,
and social studies, and providing plans to link the city to a viable
transportation system, Ghosheh said.
The project should not be adopted
only by the current government, Ghosheh stressed, but rather by the state as a
whole, with adoption by all future governments. This would come out of the need
for a modern city that meets requirements of a growing population, and improves
standards of living for Jordanians.
Citizens must feel that this project is part of the Kingdom’s economic and social progress — it should not be perceived as an additional financial burden.
Several reservations about choosing a
location for the new city have been put forth, the most important of which
refer to environmental aspects and methods of financing, and the expert
stressed the need to conduct technical and scientific studies to put such
reservations to rest and manage the project through public-private partnerships.
Citizens must feel that this project
is part of the Kingdom’s economic and social progress — it should not be
perceived as an additional financial burden, he said.
Location and populationIn a statement issued on Wednesday, the Prime Ministry said that the new city
will located along two international roads: Al-Muwaqqar/Al-Azraq and Al-Zarqa/Al-Azraq
highways. It will be near to the industrial zones in Al-Muwaqqar, Sahab, and
Al-Zarqa, and will be a key gateway to border crossings with Iraq and Saudi
Arabia, Kaberni reported.
After the completion of the first
phase in 2033, the city's population is expected to reach about 157,000, with
future expansion bringing it to one million by 2050.
The city's location will be 40km from
the center of Amman, 33km from Queen Alia International Airport, and 26km from
the city of Zarqa.
The new city will benefit from a new
railway network, a new land port in Madouna, and public transport projects
linked to the Amman Development Corridor.
Funding and job opportunitiesMeanwhile, Minister of Government
Communication and Government Spokesman Faisal Shboul said that investments in
the new city will be conducted through partnerships with the local private
sector, in addition to foreign investments. The government will not borrow from
domestic or international sources to implement this national project, he said.
After the completion of the first phase in 2033, the city's population is expected to reach about 157,000, with future expansion bringing it to one million by 2050.After the completion of the first phase in 2033, the city's population is expected to reach about 157,000, with future expansion bringing it to one million by 2050.
The planned area for the first phase
of the city is about 25 square kilometers, while the total area of the city is
expected to reach 270 square kilometers following development. The city will be
built on state-owned land that is also surrounded by state-owned land, he said.
This will facilitate both procedures and decision-making in various stages of
the project, especially in regard to planning and organization.
Shboul estimated that the city will
provide about 83,000 permanent jobs by the end of the first phase in 2033, and
about 100,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout the implementation stages.
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