Group T - Collaborative Climate Adaption Project: Difference between revisions
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=== Rationale: Why have you selected this case study area? === | === Rationale: Why have you selected this case study area? === | ||
Back in 1920, Amman was a settlement that started on the edges of a water | |||
The | source RAS AL AIN stream. The lands surrounding the stream were rich with | ||
vegetation and trees. RAS AL AIN’s water source started from the current | |||
Downtown area, which spread towards the north east of Jordan. The stream | |||
aided the first settlers take on farming as means of sustenance. The city | |||
slowly expanded from the downtown area towards the hills, and with the | |||
expansion, the stream became a dumpsite, and slowly became a hazardous | |||
area. As the expansion continued, and the settlement was slowly turning into | |||
a city, more and more houses were built over the rich farming soil, instead | |||
of expanding the city towards the desert, and turning towards agriculture, | |||
and as a result, thousands of trees were cut down, to make way for buildings | |||
and streets, disregarding the need for open public spaces, and sustaining the | |||
existing vegetation. During the 1960s & the 1970s, Greater Amman Municipality | |||
embarked on implementing the first urban plan created for Amman, the | |||
capital city of Jordan, where various important decisions were made; the most | |||
important being, covering the stream by building a main street over it, and | |||
also, cutting down trees from various areas, such as the current site of Jordan | |||
University. | |||
During the 1980s, the old quarter of Amman became an area highly congested | |||
with traffic, pollution, and demographic density. The area continued expanding, | |||
not by means of organized urban planning, but through urban sprawl, which | |||
affected the speed through which climate change hit the area even more. | |||
Within the past 20 years, the city’s climate changed rapidly, where instead | |||
of having four seasons in a year, there are currently only two: summer and | |||
winter. Desert storms became an annual event, whereas 30 years ago, it was | |||
a rare happening. Lands suffer from desertification and water resources, | |||
mainly rainfall levels are decreasing. However, Amman has great potentials in | |||
harvesting solar energy, as the area is sunny during ¾ of the year. | |||
Our main focus will be identifying the major problems, realize the major | |||
opportunities in order to come up with strategies to improve the current | |||
situation, and adapt to or mitigate climate change effects on the city of Amman. | |||
=== Authors' perspectives === | === Authors' perspectives === | ||
Revision as of 21:42, 9 December 2012
| Area | ' | |
| Place | Amman | |
| Country | Jordan | |
| Topic | ' | |
| Author(s) | Miguel Rasha and Azadeh | |
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Rationale: Why have you selected this case study area?
Back in 1920, Amman was a settlement that started on the edges of a water source RAS AL AIN stream. The lands surrounding the stream were rich with vegetation and trees. RAS AL AIN’s water source started from the current Downtown area, which spread towards the north east of Jordan. The stream aided the first settlers take on farming as means of sustenance. The city slowly expanded from the downtown area towards the hills, and with the expansion, the stream became a dumpsite, and slowly became a hazardous area. As the expansion continued, and the settlement was slowly turning into a city, more and more houses were built over the rich farming soil, instead of expanding the city towards the desert, and turning towards agriculture, and as a result, thousands of trees were cut down, to make way for buildings and streets, disregarding the need for open public spaces, and sustaining the existing vegetation. During the 1960s & the 1970s, Greater Amman Municipality embarked on implementing the first urban plan created for Amman, the capital city of Jordan, where various important decisions were made; the most important being, covering the stream by building a main street over it, and also, cutting down trees from various areas, such as the current site of Jordan University.
During the 1980s, the old quarter of Amman became an area highly congested with traffic, pollution, and demographic density. The area continued expanding, not by means of organized urban planning, but through urban sprawl, which affected the speed through which climate change hit the area even more. Within the past 20 years, the city’s climate changed rapidly, where instead of having four seasons in a year, there are currently only two: summer and winter. Desert storms became an annual event, whereas 30 years ago, it was a rare happening. Lands suffer from desertification and water resources, mainly rainfall levels are decreasing. However, Amman has great potentials in harvesting solar energy, as the area is sunny during ¾ of the year.
Our main focus will be identifying the major problems, realize the major opportunities in order to come up with strategies to improve the current situation, and adapt to or mitigate climate change effects on the city of Amman.
Authors' perspectives
- What theoretical or professional perspective do you bring to the case study?
Landscape and/or urban context
- Biogeography, land use patterns, cultural features, overall character, history and dynamics
- ratio of green/blue and sealed/built-up areas
Illustration: Map; sketches; short descriptive analyses
Cultural/social/political context
- Brief explanation of culture, political economy, legal framework
Illustration: Bullet points, image, background notes
Local Climate
- What are the climatic conditions at present? Have there been extreme weather events in the near past?
- Which changes are expected? Is there any evidence?
Illustration: Table or time line
Analysis of vulnerability
- If you consider these potential changes - which aspects/functions of your case study would be affected?
Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches/photos/background notes
Proposals for Climate Change Adaption
- How could your case study area become more resilient to climate change?
- Which measures would need to be taken to adapt to the new situation?
- How could you assure sustainability of these measures?
- Please describe 2-3 measures
Proposals for Climate Change Mitigation
- Which measures would need to be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other drivers of climate change within your case study area?
- How could you assure sustainability of these measures?
- Please describe 2-3 measures
Your scenario
- How will this area look like in 2060?
- Please forecast one potential future development taking climate change into account
Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes
What can be generalized from this case study?
- Are there any important theoretical insights?
- Which research questions does it generate?
- Short statement plus background notes
Image Gallery
- Yourimage.jpg
your image text
- Yourimage.jpg
your image text
- Yourimage.jpg
your image text
- Yourimage.jpg
your image text
- Yourimage.jpg
your image text
- Yourimage.jpg
your image text
- Yourimage.jpg
your image text
- Yourimage.jpg
your image text
References
Please add literature, documentations and weblinks
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