Jordan to build second city near Amra green town

Jordan has approved plans to build a second city near the planned Amra green city which has just been launched as the largest urban project in Jordan’s history.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan visited the Amra project last week, where work has started on the infrastructure of phase one.

Phase one will be completed within four years while the whole city is expected to be constructed over a period of 25 years. Funding will be secured through state budget allocations and investment by potential developers.

Jordan’s cabinet said on its website this week that it has approved the allocation of 20,000 dunums (20 million square metres) of land next to Amra construct the new city.

Amra city is around 40 kilometres from the capital Amman and 35 kilometres from Queen Alia airport. It lies near an international motorway linking Jordan with neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq.

Amra spans more than 500 million square metres, including around 40 million square metres for phase one, according to the Jordanian Company for Developing Cities and Facilities, which will oversee the project’s completion phases.

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Besides houses, facilities in the city will include an international exhibition and conference centre. A sports city, entertainment facilities, an ecological park, commercial and services zones and cultural facilities are also planned.

“Amra City will not be a new administrative capital. It is designed as a green city that uses modern environmental and technological techniques, clean energy and public transportation,” the cabinet said.

A partial initial public offering may be considered after the first phase is complete. This would allow citizens to benefit from this national investment, it added.

The statement said that 10 percent of Amra city would be allotted to the armed forces, which will participate in construction work.