Pedestrianization as a Strategy for Placemaking: The case of the Wakalat Street in Amman

Abstract

Borrowing western strategies for organizing public spaces in Arab countries may have negative impacts. The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has public spaces interventions in different parts of the city. This paper discusses the development of the Wakalat Street as a public space, which is located in the Swiefieh District in Amman-Jordan. Tracing the newspapers and articles about the Wakalat Street shows that there is a debate with and against the transformation of the Wakalat Street from a street to a plaza. The actions and reactions of GAM regarding the development show also uncertainty and a pragmatic approach. Methods of research for data gathering and analysis are based on qualitative approach; literature, articles, interviews, and field observations. The paper discusses issues and conditions for making successful pedestrian places through review of literature, principles and theories, and then analyses the pedestrianization of the Wakalat Street on the local context. The Jordanian experience on pedestrianization in the case of the Wakalat Street will be discussed based on the transformation decisions in relation to theory and best practice in the field. The key findings present the importance of analyzing the expected impact of pedestrianization on the economic and social aspects. The pedestrianization of the Wakalat Street has bad impact on the character of the street as a place attracting international brands; it is no longer the street of Wakalat (brands).