Assessment of the Role of Decentralization Councils in Sustainable Urban Development in Jordanian Cities

Abstract

Decentralization has become one of the most significant issues in urban planning. In Jordan, the decentralization law was established in 2015 and implemented in 2017. However, various reports indicated that the role of the decentralization councils in sustainable urban development in Jordan is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of decentralization councils in sustainable urban development in Jordanian cities by examining and exploring the development of open spaces and projects in three cities (Al-Mafraq, Al-Zarqa, and Al-Karak) after establishing the decentralization councils. A mixed-methods approach was followed, both qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative data was collected through a literature review and semi-structured interviews with experts, chairpersons, and members of decentralization councils for each city and analyzed by content analysis. The quantitative data were collected by a questionnaire distributed to 200 citizens in each of the three cities and official records obtained from the decentralization councils. They were then analyzed statistically. The study results indicated that the role of the decentralization councils for sustainable urban development in Jordan is low, with minimal contribution to developing open spaces and projects. Additionally, this research found that the barriers to the role of the decentralization councils were related to various factors, including defects in the law itself, a lack of support from the government, and the council members’ lack of knowledge of sustainable urban development. Various recommendations were provided, such as modifying the decentralization law and its implementation to be more efficient in sustainable urban planning and increasing the budget for developing public spaces and projects in all Jordanian cities. Finally, the author calls for further research regarding the role of decentralization councils in developing urban areas in and out of Jordan.