ABSTRACT
Whenever I open one of the local newspapers in Amman I am astonished by the huge number of advertisements (mostly a whole page) promoting new ‘urban’ projects – offi ce towers, gated communities or even mega developments such as Abdali1 in the middle of the city. Furthermore, one cannot help but notice the abundance of new real-estate and business magazines in both Arabic and English, such as Jordan Business, Jordan Property and Jordan Land. They all promote real-estate ventures in the city, on the Airport Highway and in other Jordanian cities as well as providing information on similar ventures in other Arab countries. It is evident that Amman is embarking on a new era of urban/spatial restructuring which is also affecting Middle Eastern cities at large.
