Cities spatial model training for Jordan’s policymakers

This five-day workshop will support the Government of Jordan in applying the Cities Spatial Model as a decision-support tool for spatial planning. The model offers insights into how transport, housing, and land-use decisions affect economic activity, access to opportunities, and overall city welfare. The programme includes a high-level opening session on Day 1 to brief senior government officials and reinforce high-level alignment around integrating the model into national planning processes.

This workshop gives government counterparts in Jordan including GAM and line ministries a practical, user-friendly tool to run ex-ante scenarios for major urban and transport investments – estimating impacts on job accessibility, land-use efficiency, housing affordability, and network congestion before committing funds. This directly serves Jordan’s Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV) pillars on transportation, citizen-centric cities, digital transformation, climate, and urban governance, and complements the government's priorities on focus on public transit and inclusive growth. We hope this training builds local capacity to use the model for policy appraisal and to prioritise EMV-aligned projects based on quantified benefits and trade-offs.

Objectives

• Strengthen institutional capacity to analyse spatial development patterns and infrastructure investments
• Enable technical teams to prepare data inputs, run scenario simulations, and interpret model outputs for planning purposes
• Improve coordination between municipal and national stakeholders involved in urban development
• Support the formal adoption of spatial-economic analytics within public decision-making systems

Policy-focus areas

• Prioritisation of transport corridors, including BRT expansion
• Assessment of zoning reforms and building code adjustments
• Land-use strategies to balance density, liveability, and sustainability
• Evaluation of infrastructure investment options and economic development zones

Participants

The workshop convenes approximately 20 government participants, including advanced technical staff from Greater Amman Municipality as well as representatives from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of Investment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport, and Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Participation is by invitation.

Format and content

• Duration: Five days, Sunday to Thursday, 30 November – 4 December 2025
• Timing: 09:00 – 15:00 daily
• Format: Hands-on sessions using Amman-specific case studies and data
• Focus: Model operation, data preparation, and translation of results into planning recommendations

Expected outcomes

• Government officials and planners able to apply spatial-economic modelling to planning challenges in Amman
• Improved evidence base for prioritising infrastructure investments and regulatory changes
• Greater alignment of spatial planning with national economic and urban development strategies
• A sustained pathway toward integrating the Cities Spatial Model into core government planning processes

Contact

For further information, please contact: [email protected]