By “I am already aware that I am not the only one who finds the Jordan Gate buildings rather forcefully imposed on our city.”
-
-
archives
- An Arab Renaissance against all odds?
- Travel to Lost Places
- At the Black Iris of Jordan: Best Internet Service Provider in Jordan
- “12 Angry Lebanese”: interview with Zeina Daccache
- At Inanities: Guide to writing about Egypt
- Arbitration & mediation in the Arab world: a growing phenomenon
- At Muslimah Media Watch: Newsweek Turns a Widow into a Terrorist Mastermind
- “Fasten your seatbelts”: a Royal Jordanian flight as symbol of a culture
- The pen is mightier: Remi Kanazi talks back
- The IPAF reminds us that Arab writing is alive and flourishing
- “The Middle East Conflict”: Mind your language!
- At Muslim Reverie: It’s time to end gender segregation in mosques
- The Dead Keep It
- The Fake Muhajaba
- What’s missing in the GCC states? Well…
recent comments
- Yvette Soto on To Obama
- Karim Alhorr on Arbitration & mediation in the Arab world: a growing phenomenon
- Bruce on The Fake Muhajaba
- ramy on The Fake Muhajaba
- ramy on An Arab Renaissance against all odds?
- An Arab Renaissance against all odds? – excerpt on An Arab Renaissance against all odds?
- Tareq A Hadi on “Fasten your seatbelts”: a Royal Jordanian flight as symbol of a culture
- Devin Weiss on Yes We Can: A Letter to Obama from an Arab-American
- Mike V. Derderian on Amman In Winter
- JennyBlock on The Fake Muhajaba
- JennyBlock on The Fake Muhajaba
- JennyBlock on The Fake Muhajaba
- JennyBlock on That Night in Marrakesh
- gfarck.tnoumi on The Next Great War… With the Burqa
- steve on Iraq’s Money and America’s Responsibility
browse all articles
i must agree, but such projects are classical examples of ‘third world’ cities’ drive to modernization. Take a glance at the project planned for down town Amman and the Abdali project and i am sure more follow, and you will clearly see the contrast of the past and the future. Though i think the plans are abit too optimistic for our city, considering and in most cases, most third world urban dwellers are not per se urban dwellers as those of New Yok or London, we lack the urban cliche (speed walking, coffee and donuts on the go and most importanly atleast in the Amman case we dont walk to work).
Back to the Neighbourhood Monster, having studied urban geography, all what can be said is debates in the academia revolve around preseving the local/original urban fabric whilst moving towards cities of the future or atleast more modern ones. I anxiously wait to see how much Amman would change over the years and i hope municipal planners act accordingly and preserve whatever heritage the city has to offer, there are plenty of examples of that not happening. In my neighbourhood, a very old house was demolished and replaced with apartments or the case with Jordan Gate being build on a park which i remember going to ever since i was a little boy or the project which took place over the summer by the 1st circle. Its truly a sad state of affair, we should look at cities say for example london or Toronto, where certain city bylaws prohibit planners or residents to damage or replace old houses, gardens, parks and in a certain house in london a stair case, due to their value, history and heritage.
Whups, I just realized that the title link on this page no longer points to Roba’s piece. Will fix that…