Madenat Al-Qamar

In January 2010 our team was approached by the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) and its development branch - AMAAR Group - to develop a comprehensive vision and master plan for a significant portion of the Palestine Jordan Valley. The purpose of the project was to create a state-building vision for urban employment and agricultural development. The project entailed a primary programming and conceptual planning exercise at the regional scale as well as plans for public spaces, one public square and one open-air market within the primary communities. regionalArchitects completed the preliminary design for each public space component, as well as a series of renderings and animations for public presentation.

The subject lands sit within the northern urban expansion area of the City of Jericho, the oldest inhabited place in the world. The regional plan is designed to harmonize with the existing topography and optimize views to the Jordan Valley, to create visual relationships between key villages. The State-Building Vision document includes preliminary planning for eight complete communities with a total capacity of 11,000 residential units for permanent and seasonal use. The plan focuses largely on long-term sustainable development and includes: a broad range of unit types and building typologies to accommodate a range of incomes and seasonal uses; extensive commercial/mixed use development along pedestrian-friendly streets to reduce the need for vehicle traffic; planned networks of ecological corridors; and a continuous buffer of agricultural land surrounding all population centres to supply local produce and employment opportunities.

To generate public interest and establish amenities, the project implementation will begin with the development of “magnet sites” such as a farmers’ market, oases, a water park, an eco-lodge and a Centre of Excellence for agricultural research. Sustainable design and renewable energy features are integrated into the planning, detailed design and implementation of Madenat Al-Qamar. Employment land to the north will focus upon the production of renewable energy products, which will help make the Palestine Jordan Valley a leading producer of renewable energy and eliminate the West Bank’s dependence on foreign energy.

The project is currently under review with implementation expected to begin
shortly.