Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BUSINESSII{CUBATIOI{.
THEORETICAL
II\TRODUCTIONAND
BUSINESSINCUBATORS
IN JORDAN
(:HAPI Elt t HRtu
l.INTRODUCTION
The first chapter of this book is a general survey of Jordan as a case-studycountry, while the
second one describes the scope of national and regional planning as a means of controlling
sustainablecountry development.The secondchapter approachesthe main topic of the book by
fbcusing on production sites as Jump-starting'elements,including economic impulses that can be
establishedfor the fomation of proper regional composition.
. Land-basedactivities;
. Administrati\ely forcedactivities.
2.1LAND-BASEDACTIVITIES
Kaldort differentiatesbetween two kinds of land-basedactivities: 'footloose' and 'foot-bound'.
For the foot-loose activities, the sourcesof materialsneededfor production are not top priorities,
e.g. the case of the electronics industry. Foot-bound activities, such as agriculture and mining,
make thet investmentsclose to where raw materialsare available.
Kaldor desqibes the role of 'resourceendowment areas'in the disffibution of economic activities
in any counfy and calls the industriesconcentratedthere 'land-based'economic activities, such as
agriculture or mineral exploitation. These are clearly conditioned by geological and climatic
factors, the suitability of soil, rainfall, the availability of minerals, and so on. Consequently,he
relies on this fact to explain why some areasare more densely settledthan others,and why there is
a comparative advantagein procuring different products, and what determinesthe nature of their
extemal rade relations.
Governments have a big interest in encouraging private enterpdses to establish, enhance and
develop their industdes. By doing so they stimulate entrepreneursto create more jobs and to
increasetheir participation in the national economy.
Regional authorities and local governmentscan and should contribute in creating an appropriate
investmentenvironmentby providing incentivesfor enterprisecreation,to make economic growth
in their own territories possible.
3. BUSINESSINCUBATORS
Industrial areas are business incubators, which are defined by the European commission as
follows2: "A business incubator is a place where newly createdfirms are concentrated in o
limited space. Its ainx is to inprove the chqnce of grotvth and rate of sut-vivalof theseJitms by
providing them with q modular building with commonfacilities (Telefax,computingfacilities, etc.)
as well as with monagerial suppott and back-up semices, The mqin emphasis is on local
developmentand job creation, The technologyorientation is often nrarginal3 [58]."
The establishment of public or pdvate investments passes through almost the same process.
Investors think in four parallel lines of thought when they intend to establishtheir own business
line. and theseare:
. What is to be established?
. Why is it to be established?
. Where is it to be established?
. How is it to be established?
Based on fixed regional policy made by govemments and business associations,which was
discussedin depth in the second chapter, businessenterprisesfind themselvesforced to choose
between plots within a predetermined site instead of choosing a site within a region to be
distinguished for industrial uses. Their traditional role in making their own market studies
regarding inputs4 and outputs is no longer valid under the new circumstances5.The central
planner has taken over their role and given them limited paths along which they can practice their
production. Site selectionhas tumed into plot selectionwithin a predeterminedsite.
. Foundation of nehtfactories;
. Relocationof factorie.s:
. Branch establishment1601."
This exprcssionis widely used in the USA as being the country with the first tbundeN ol BusinessIncubators.'?rrsire.!.r
incubation caulyzes the prccess of stLtrtinsanl growing companies.A pro|en mo.lel, it provides entrepretleursvith the
expertise,nebt"orks,and tools they need to nake their yentures succesqful.Incubation prognms diversifr economies,
com rerciulizetechnologies,create.iobsantl bui[t] weahlt Tocla-,-,
there ore more than 900 ol theseprograns h tlrc Unitetl
Sxttes,upfrom 12 in 1984[57]."
UN ECE OperalionalAct;vilies: Promoting and SustainingBusinesslncubatofsfor the developmentof Smal] and Medium
Enterprises. Discussionpaperpreparedfor the Experl Meetingon Bcst Practicein BusinessIncubationheld on 3-4 June 1999a1
the PalacedesNalionsin Geneva.
4 tnputs ale [59]: Natural resources;working force; suppliersof goods and services,and acccssibilily10 infomation and ln-
novations.
5 Output [59]: Marke! accessvariegatesstronglyaccordingto locations.
-! -i
{'lt \l"l l'l{ I llRLll
1. Scatteredindustrial areas;
2. Free zones;
3. Detachedindusbial areas'Industrial Parks'or 'Industrial Estates'.
3.1.1SCATTEREDBUSINESSINCUBATORS
In order to satisfy the needsof the population, small and medium-sizedmanufacturingfirms, such
as workshops,factories for the manufactdringof food and beverages,carpetsand rugs, footwear,
textiles, etc., began to settle near the agglomeration areas. The establishment of small-size
industrial manufacturing firms has begun in accordancewith the basic processesof economic
growth.
3.1.2FREE ZONES
Free Zones are predetermined areas reserved for practicing certain economic activities under
cefiain economic rules mostly related to tax exemptions.Investors usually take advantageof the
free zones regulations in order to execute export-oriented industrial production. They serve in
general multi-functionally, which can include storage,production, and export of goods. Because
of this wide range of free zones functions, they will be superficially discussedin this book and
will not be included in the ranking model, which will be elaboratedin the coming chapters.
"Tofacilitate Jordan's role as a regionaLhub betweenthe more populous countriesof lraq, Egypt,
Syria, and the Gulf Stcttes,the government of Jordan has establisheda ru4mberof public and
private Jiee zones throughout the country. Goods may pass through these zones, exemptJrom
customs duties or import taxes, and industial facilities may be leasedfrom the govemment .tt
reducedrates".
"The first public free zone was estqblishedin Aqaba on the Red Se.t, concentating on tansit,
freez,ingand cold storageand industri.almanufacturing,The Zaryo Jree zone lies 35 km northeast
of Amman, and offers automobile and commercial sale oppofiunities, plus manufacturing ond
warehousingsites. Thefree zone located at the Sahab industial estatehas beenaLlocqtedfor use
by iwestors in export-orientedindustries. The QueenAlia Intemational Airyort has been selected
to serve as a site for transit trade and the establishment o.f light, high-tech, pollution-free
industries[61]."
The Free Zones Corporation is a govemmental institution that carries the responsibility of the
establishmentof businessincubatorsthat serye a unique kind of commercial investmentunder the
provision of a special law. The corporaiion offers plots with the necessaryinfrastructureswithin
fte boundariesof a predeterminedzone that can ease the operation of private commercial and
indusfiial investment.This arrangementoffers a further investmentopportunity that can benefit the
private sector and can create more workplaces.The Free Zones Corporation aheady operatesthe
following projects:
"The council of ministers approved the establishment of five private Free hnes wilh a total
investmentc(tpital of about 264 Million JD [62]." In Jordan, we can find the following pdvate
free zones,which employ about 3,000 workers:
. JordanIndo Chernicals;
. JordanMagnesium Companyo;
. JordanBromine Company;
. Intemational Company for Investments;
. Mwaqar company for private free zone;
. Hijazi and GhoshehGroup;
. Trans- Jordanfor livestock:
. JordanianDuty Free Company Shops;
. Free Media City:
. Almasyeh Intemational Company for Investment;
. Masbokat Alsahra' for Production:
. GhassanGhir and Partners;
. Marshal Iyrosis ofJordan;
. JordanianAiryorts Duty Free Company;
. JordanianCompany for the Reconstructionof Airplane Engines;
. JordanianCompany for Airplanes Maintenance;
. JordanianCompany for Airplanes Provisloning;
. JordanianCompany for Training and Simulation.
3.1.3INDUSTRIAL PARKS
The Industrial parks, as places where severalindustdes are concentrated,affect the entire regional
fabric becauseof their role, which is to act as gravitation points and to induce economic impulses.
People needed for the WorkforceT for running the production wish to settle down near their
'agglomeration'areasnear
WorkplaceS . This kind of normal human behavior leads to congested
Industrial parks. Such action can be induced by developing well-founded territory development
plans and issuing them in the form of legalized masterplans. The implementedplars should come
under continuous evaluation in order to create harmony and diversity to a certain extent. The
"Severalplanned industrial towns were built in the nineteenthcentury. The scale of organization
of large manufacturing operations necessitateda well-organized corps of workers. The English
were the main developersof theselarge-scaleoperations in their textile plants, and the Aruericans
were quick to leam their lessons.A small mill village of workers houseswas erectedas early as
1812in Georgiaville, RhodeIsland [63]."
"Around the Krupp factories of Essen, Germany, a number of communities were built starting in
1863.Called Siedlungen,or worker colonies, by 1925 they amounted to 25,000 housesin about a
dozencommunities.[63 ]."
The logical justification for establishing indusftial parks must be elaborated within the same
context of the previously raised questionsas to 'why they are to be established'which investors
usually make.
The best example of detachedindusrrial areasis rhe Industrial Estateg . The Industrial Estateis an:
"Area of land situated outside the boundaries of Municipalities and designatedas an industrial
'Planning
zone under the provisions of the of Cities, Villages and Buildings Law' in force and
allocated for the accommodation of industries and required services, which the council of
Ministers upon recommendation of the Board ma! consider as an Industrial Estate to be managed
by the Corporation in qccordancewith the provisions of this Law [64]."
1, Placasneededfor industry and its ongoing expansiol are usually inadequatewhen located
within the housing areas;
2. Industrial parks reducethe usual complaints about industry and its disturbing effects on the
neighboringpopulation and on the environment;
3. Industrial parks reduce the radical price increaseof land and real estate neededfor pro-
duction within cities;
4. They give freedom of design according to the new production demandsoffered by large-
scaleareasoutsidecities:
5. Provide good connectionsto the national and intemational transportationnetworks;
6. They make use of investment attractionsoffered to industries working in less developed
argas;
7. They contribute to the developmentof the country by investing in the lessdevelopedareas;
8. They decreaseproduction costsby using cheaplabor outsidecities;
9. They facilitate co-operation between various industries and the exchangeof material and
expensI
10. Indusuial parks facilitate the use of modem and efficient services, such as water and
electrical supplies, fire fighting systems, telecommunication, and sewage and sewage
reatment.
The main concern of the author in this book is to examine 'where a production site should be
established',becausethis matter is vital and can influence the regional and urbar fabric in the
country concerned. This matter will be discussedin detail in the fourth chapter.
An industrial park can be consideredas the host lor various kinds of businesses.Large, medium
and small-size enterprisescan benefit from this facility for an effective start-up. The industrial
park as an 'organizationalumbrella' can play the role of an incubator especially for small- and
medium-sizedenterpdses.
"Amongst the support institutions, businessincubators, innovation centers, industriql parks and
techno-parks hqve shown themselvesto be effective instrumentsfor assisting entrepreneurs in
stafiing a new business,nurturing young enterprises, and helping them to survive during the
start-up periori when they are most vulnerabLe[ 58]."
Offering a comprehensivedesign with almost every crucial element is a big plus that can enhance
and suppolt all kinds of industries within one unified compound. "Businessincubators involve
some kind of premises (real estate) infrastructure where national or local governments,
municipalities, or groups of large-scale enterprises provide on-site workhop ffice and
administrati)e services,and assistancein various areas such as technical support seryices,access
to financing, counseling,marketing,accessto equipment,manqgementassistance,etc. [58]."
Servicesprovidedby lndustrialparks:
. Physicalintiastructure;
. Administrativeservices.
3.I.3.4.IPHYSICALINFRASTRUCTURE
. Roads;
. Water networkl
. Sewagenetwork;
. Electdcity network:
. Telecommunicationnetwork;
. Fire-fighting system.
3.1.3.4.2ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
. Generalmanagement;
. Secretarialseryices;
. Telecommunication;
. Planning, assistanceand counseling;
. Advertising, and marketing;
ctt,\Pt |']Rt' l *l ijj
. lnvestmentpromotron:
. Financial advisoryi
. Training;
. Catering:
. Security:
TABLE 7
REGISTERED
FACTORIES,WORKSHOPSAND COMMERCIALNAMES IN JORDAN
"Due to the absenceof industrial policy, industrial companiesare growing across lordan quite
haphazardlylike mushroomsand indeed like mushrooms,many of them have a very short life span
165l. " Despite the ongoing effods to link the new industdal investmentsoutside the capital, the
number of the industrial enterpdsesin Amman province alone equals almost the number of all
remaining enterprisesin the other I I provinces (seeTable 8).
Jordan, as a developing country with very limited natural resources,has recognizedthe necessity
to establisha solid infrastructurethat can encouragepdvate enbepreneursto make new industrial
investments.The HKJ realized in the early stagesof its formation the importance of establishing
self-contained,detachedindustrial areas,which are:
. JordanIndustrial EstateCooperationprojects;
. Private sectorprojects;
. Free zones.
:..' i ('t | \ l, l'll lt .l fl lt u ll
i,i''ii
TABLE 8
GEOGRAPHICDISTRIBUTIONOF THE INDUSTRIALCOMPANIESIN JORDAN
Source:Departmentof Statistics,Jordan.
In order to fulfill its mission as a public umbrella for industrial parks and as a businessincubator,
chapterthree of the JIEC law equippedthe cooperationin Article 7 with the following powers:
1. " To otvn and buy lands necessaryfor the est.lblishmentof industrial estates;
2. Managementof all affoirs of industrial estates;
3. Notwithstan(li g the provisions stipulated by any other law, the cotporation shall exercise
itspowers within the industrial estate,the .ruthoritiesof the local and the regional planning
committeesfor application of the planning of cities, villages and buildings law;
4. IJndertakeall necessaryconstuction work for the establishmentof industial estatesand
proride them v'ith the required services;
5. Approve the establishmentof licensedindustrieswithin the industrial estates:
6. Exercise the powers and (luthorities of the municipalities in the kingdom tvithin the
industrial estates:
CII,\PTF]R 1'I{RI.]I.] $3
7. EstabLish a basis for renting and/or selling lands and.factory buildings constructed in the
industriql estates to the industriql investors and conclude contracts thereof:
8, Recommendto the authorities concernedto adopt restrictive planning measuresfor areas
surrounding industrial estatesas may be necessaryfor the public imerest;
9. Provid.emanagerial,financial qnd technical advice to the industries within the industrial
estatesand to the industrieswishing to be located on the industrial estates;
10. Conclude contracts r|ith contractors, experts includ.inglawyers and engineersin order to
enable the corporqtion to petform its duties;
11.Borrow funds from local andforeign sourcesprovided that:
. The issue of bonds locally shall be carried out in occordonce with the provisions of a
special regulation to be issuedfor this purpose,
. leans from foreign sources shall be approved by the council of ministers,
12. Cooperatewith other concernedauthorities to provide housing and other servicesfor peo-
ple working on the industrial estates;
13, Take necessarymeasuresto protect environmentagoinst pollution causedby industries on
industrial estc es incluclingpollution ofwater and air;
14. Coordinqte with concemedministries in maftersthat rel.tte to their work:
15. Adopt any other measures towar^ implementing the objects of the corporation in ac-
cordance with the provisions of this law [64]."
Since its foundation in 1985 the Jordan Industdal Estate Cooperation has executedfour projects
and finished the design and tender documents for another seven industrial parks. To facilitate
further elaborationwe will divide the JIEC Droiectsinto:
In the early seventies of the 20th century and during the oil boom, Jordan witnessed the
establishmentof its foremost light industries,which were allocatedin the vicinity of the inhabited
areasin and around Amman ciry. The Jordaniangovernmenthad realized the necessityto gather
these scatteredindustrial sites within an industuialpark that can provide them with the necessary
infrastructure and unified administrative framework. This framework was granted by the formation
of the JIEC, which was establishedby law and gave the authoritiesa wide scope.At the sametime
the JIEC law left a wide range for individualism and freedom for investors within the framework
and general guidelines of the cooperation as a business incubator and facilitator. Since its
formation, the JordanIndustrial EstateCooperationhas erectedseveralindustrial parks, which are:
l0 District within Anman Province18 km away from the centerof Amman with 32,153personsaccordingro tho 1994nationalcen-
sus(seeAppendixE, Plate832, Locality Number6).
iii.r ctI:\P'lt.ittl llttuu
changedin the year 2001 into Abdullal II Ibn El Husein Industrial Estate(AIHIE), the king of the
HKJ. The location of this estate has the advantageof direct and easy connectionsto all major
regions within the Kingdomll . It is located near the highway to Queen Alia Intemational Airport
(QAIA), leading to the port of Aqaba and the southembordersto Saudi Arabia.
The total area of this estateis 2500 dunumsl2 . By the end of 1995, the estateaccommodated327
industrial entities, of which there were 53 manufacturingfirms with US$ 495 million investment
involved in regional and intemationaljoint ventureprojects,seeTable 9.
TABLE 9
INDUSTRIESHOSTEDBY ABDULLAH II IBN AL HUSSEININDUSTRIALESTATE
Source:InvestorsAssociation
ofAmman IndustrialCity in Sahab.
Being the first operated industrial park in the county, the choice of location approved by the
government can be evaluated in the following Table 10. In summary, the preponderanceof the
advantagesshown in this table that must be read within the context of location-relatedissuescan
be observed.
LocArroNEVALUATToN
oF ABDU;l?iLf;,t"\ or-ru..r,* ,*DUSTRTAL
ESTATE
Advantages Disadvantages
Nearthebiggest
agglOnemtonareas
inthec0untry Withhanddevelopment 'A' provides
area which only25%
exemption
province
center ftominc0me
andsoaial
services
tercs
Nearthemainroadcomecting
lhederrnhigh$dyandpro\incecenlei
0n11J0kmarayiromrhebiggeslinremdriondl
Airyoninrhecounn)
Nearlhemilwaytrack
Appropnate
0nenwion rheprevaring
Egarding \re5lwinddirccLi0n
Withinmoderale
climate
area
Neamesst0theexlsllng
mlrastructure
Possibility
forfuture
extension
A\vay
tromagncultural
area
Awaylromunderyruundwater
Rsources
Inhunonywitipoljtical
andsocial
priorities.
Source:Author.
3.2.1.1.2EL HASSANINDUSTRIALESTATE
In 1989 the constructionof a secondindustrial park beganin the north pa of the country and was
given the name of Pdnce El Hassan Ibn Talal. El Hassan Industdal Estate (HIE) became the
official name of this industrial park, which was opened for operation in 1991 (see Appendix E,
PlatesEl1 and l2).
Based on a specialized regional planning study made in cooperation between Jordanian and
Japaneseexpertsl3 , the lrbid region was divided into ten developmentareasl4 . The location of
this industrial park was chosenafter long debatesl5. and in the end it was located 2.5 kilometers
east of the Ramtha intenection. In 1985 the final design was completed,with the following main
rearures' :
. EntranceGate:
. Administration Complex;
. Fire ard Police Station:
. StandardFactories:
. Petrol Station:
. Water Tanks, Undergroundand ElevatedWater Reservoirs;
. SewageTreatmentPlant;
. Electric TransformerStation,
TABLE 1I
? LOCATIONEVALUATION OF EL HASSANINDUSTRIALESTATE
LocationAdvantases Location Disadvantases
Nearintemationalroadnetworkand Theselectedsiteembodiesa wadi thatsplitstheplot
borders.
intemational intq two parts,whereculvertswereneededto allow
theaccessibilityandmobilityof personsandvehicles
betweenthetwo parts.
Nearagglomemtion
areas. Limitedexpansionareaduel0 scattered pdvate
ownership sunounding plot.
theoriginal
Source:
Author.
The biggest location-relatedproblem facing this estate is the Wadi floods during winter, which
reachedthe factory areasseveraltimesl 7 . In this context. the study made by the Royal Scientific
Society should be mentioned, This study examines the flood problem and makes suggestionsto
preventor to reducethe flooding.
"A big Wadi that is consideredto be an aggregationpoint for severaLwadis splits the estatev)ith a
total length meesuringabout 1,250 m within its borders. The location of this wadi and its neqrness
'ShalaLeh'tumed it into drainage
to the final water aggregation point for rainwater comingfrom
several werlis or streamsor paths. Rainwater over the catchmentarea cqusesa roise in the water
l 3 In March 1976,Late King Husseinof JordanvisitedJapanto starta new ageof coopemtion.On l4'o August 1978an agreement
was signedbetweenthe two countriesto rcflect the political will beingresultingfrom Japanese technicaland financialaid to the
kingdom.
t 4 During the late sixties,Jordanwas divided into five main rcgions,which are JordanValley, Irbid, (Amman and Balqa),(Karak
and Ma'an)and Aqaba.
15 One ofthe main altemativeswasoppositeto the JordanUniversilyfor ScienceandTechnology(JUST),seePlate3 and El2.
t 6 DangroupIntemational-Denmarkmadethe designof the El HassanIndustdalEstate'originally namedIrbid IndustrialEstate'.
The total plot areawas427,383-sq.m and wasdividedinto 17 sectionsincluding 1,14industrialplots [66].
t'7 A dese( watercou$e,which is usually,dry but which may be filled occasionallyafter heavyrainfall in winter and causeflood
ins,
1,;L, CIIAPI'T]RTIIITEE
level of the wadi, which leads to an overflow towards the Lower level in the southem sidc of the
wadi with all collected deposits.As a result of this situation, in 1994, the overflow reached the
buildings located at the southem side of the wadi causing total immersion becauseof the huge
amount of rainfall in that year. In the year 2000, some other locations \4)erepartially immersed
t671."
The 427 dunum reachedits full capacity and neededfurther expansion.Therefore an agreementlS
was signed between the Jordan Industrial Estate Cooperation and the Royal Scientific Society to
preparethe necessary&awings and tender documentsfor the neededexpansionwith a total areaof
395 dunurnl9.
According to the recordsof the Minisry of Industry and Trade in Jordan,there were 783 factories
and workshops registered by December 2000 in Irbid province with a total local and foreign
capital of 80,480,160JD.
Al Karak province is a part of the southem region in the HKJ that hosts 169,770persons,i.e. about
4Vo of the counfty's iotal population. It is a unique area in that it is characterizedby a wide
diversity of landscapes,such as mountains, valleys and desert. This province contains a wide
vadety of natural resources,such as phosphate,potash,oil shale,gypsum, building stone and salt.
These were the incentives for the establishment of land-based industries led by the Jordan
PhosphateMining Company and the Arab PotashCompany.
Before the establishmentof the new Al Hussein Ibn Abddullah II Industrial Estate (HIAIE), Al
Karak province hostedthe following industriesshown in Table 12.
Manufacture
MetalProducts 75 198 1,080 488 0.7
Furniture 6 t4 43 24
Total 297 3,071 108,587 65,564 100
Source:Department IndustrialSurvey1996,Anrman1998.
of Statistics,
18 AgreementNo.62197.
19 The Author wasthe designingArchitectandurbanplannerlbr this project(seePlate4).
'I'HRI'F] t"rU
CTIAPI}]R UJ
The location of this industrial park was chosenin the 'Lajoun' area on the main road leading to the
city of Karak, five km west of the deserthighway and 110 km south of Amman (seeAppendix E,
PlatesE89- E92). HIAIE is only 12 km away from Karak, whose population is 21,39120 . Within
the boundariesof HIAIE. there is a Driyatefree zone of 146 dunums.
TABLE13
LOCATIONEVALUATIONOFAL HUSSEINIBN ABDDULLAHII INDUSTRIALESTATE
Source:Author.
. PhaseOne 863,192.18sq.m
. PhaseTwo 503,913.44sq.m
. PhaseThree 519,111.90sq.m
. Main Gate;
. Industrial Plots;
. Administration Complex:
. SewageTreatmentPlant;
. Police Station;
. Fire Station:
. Primary and SecondaryRoads:
. High and Low Tension Electrical Network;
. SewageNetwork;
. Petol Station and Workshops.
Aqaba Intemational Industrial Estate (AIIE) is located 10 km North of Aqaba town and 700 m
East of Aqaba International Airport. The total project area is 2,750 dunums, where phase one
consrstsoI ) ttl ounums_" .
According to the records of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Jordan,there were 90 factodes
and workshops registered by December 2000 in Aqaba province with a total local and foreign
capitalof I18,447,500JD.
A 3.5 km service road, which branchesfrom the Aqaba-Dead Sea Road, passesin front of the
Aqaba Intemational Industrial Estate.Another road of 700-m length connectsthe project with the
Al HusseinInternationalAirport of Aqaba.
Plots are designedto serve the various investors demands,where "two industrial buildings were
constructedwith an area of 2235 antl 2726 m2.A 50 m-high elev(ted water tank and a 1,500 mr
ground water reservoir were constucted to ensure a sfficient water suppl!. A 680 sq. m,
administration building, a 300 m2 servicesbuilding, a 250 m2 cafeteria and a 168m2 kindergarten
were built to ensure the availability of thosefacilities which can ease the operqtion of the estate
168t."
Ma'an province has the largest area in Jordan measuring33,163 sq. km and the lowest population
(88,320 persons)with a population density of 2.7 per km2 (seeTable 5)24. Ma'an province hosts a
foot-bound industry as phosphateis available within its teritories, where 4l mining and quarrying
enterprisesare to be found out of 200 working in the industdal sector25. The proposed site for
Ma'an Industrial Estate (MIE) is located 8 km East of Ma'an city at the road intersectionto Iraq
and Saudi Arabia (see Appendix E, Plate 105). The designersof Ma'an Industrial Estate divided
. Two Gates;
. Industrial Plots (365 InvestmentPlots distributedover 29 Sectors);
. Adminisration Complex (2,075 m2);
. Office Building;
. SewageTreatmentPlant (STP) Activated Sludge,ExtendedAeration;
. Primary and SecondaryRoads (15,357M-Length and 162,600m2 PavedArea);
. Electric High and Low Tension and Sbeet Lighting Network;
. TelecommunicationNetwork;
. RainwaterDischargeNetworkl
. Road Fire Hydrants;
. Drinking Water Network;
. SewageNetwork:
. Petrol Station Plot;
. Three UndergroundWater Reservoirs,eachwith a 1,500m3 storagecapaciry;
. ElevatedWater Tank (45-m High ReinforcedConcrete,450 mr storagecapacity);
. Plot For Electdc TransformationStation 33/11 KVA;
. Plot For Electonic TelephoneStation (Primary Exchange);
. Green Belt.
TABLE 14
LOCATIONEVALUATION OF MA'AN INDUSTRIALESTATE
SourcerAuthor.
26 The Author, as being the seniordesigningarchitectand urbanplannerof Ma'an IndustrialEstateand his Ieamat the Royal Sci-
entific Society,suggestedcombiningthe Ma'an Industial Estateprojectwith the housingcompoundof JordanPhosphate Mining
Companywithin one areaas an integratedcombinationof housingand industryand to cut down the infrastructureexpenses. Af-
ter finishingthe masterplan and detaileddrawingsfor 750 villas, two schools,a shoppingcenter,mosque.and an elevatedwater
Iower.fhe two companies 'JordanlndustrialEstateCooperationand JordanPhosphaleMining Company'stopped the cooperation
and frozethe agreements becauseol' llnancialdisparities.The reserved488-dunumplol for this purposewasleft for futureexten-
sion in orderto avoid redesigningthe whole plot onceagain.
27 Royal SciendficSocieIy,Building ResearchCenter,TechnicalReporI,August 1999.
( H \t,t r'.lt'l'tlRltl]
The Jordan Industdal EstateCooperationpostponedthe execution of this project for some time in
order to find the funding needed for this project and to ensure the involvement of foreign
investment.
On Wednesday 27th March 2002 an agreementwas signed between the Jordan Industrial Estate
Cooperationand a Chinesedelegationin which a credit of 4 million JD was grantedto finance the
executionof this project. The Chinesecounterpartrequestedchangesin the prepareddesign,which
was made by the Building ResearchCenter at the Royal Scientific Society in order to "give the
estate some of the Chinese architectural image in order to raise its esthetical value [85]",
Regrettably, the Jordan Industdal Estate Cooperation agreed to this request neglecting the
necessity of adopting the design to one which is related to Jordanian architecture and which
reflectsJordanianculture and environment28.
3.2.1.2.2SALT INDUSTRIALESTATE
The province center is a historically well-known.architecturaland cultural site in Jordan. "Sa/t /ies
20 km to the east of the lordan Valley at an altitude of 800 m. It has traditionall! been a trading
mqrket center sening Gilead on the East Bank, with links to Nabus, Jerusalem and the
Mediterranean to the west and Damascus to the north. It is now the administrative center for
Balqa region, only 30 km north-westof Amman with which it has a close intetelationship [69]."
TABLE 15
LOCATIONEVALUATIONOF SALT INDUSTRIALESTATE
Withindeveloprnenl
area'B'with5070exemption Limitedpossibility
forfutureextension
fromincomeandsocialseryices
taxes
Source:Author.
28 Dr. Murad Kalaldeh,the Author,carriedout the responsibilityof urbanand architecturaldesignand the coordinationbetwecnall
involvedfaculties.
ii.
( tI \Pll.-R l lIrrlll.-
. Highlands and a sudden drop towards the Jordan Rift Valley mark the topography of this
rcgron;
. Relatively high population density:
. Limited publicly owned land.
The designing firm had to deal with the selectedsite despite its unsuitable topography for such
kinds of projects29.The terrain drops down from a level of 680 m to 635 m within a distance of
220 m. uhich amountsto an averapedecline of 207o10.
3.2.r.2.3ZARQA INDUSTRIALESTATE
The planned site of Zarqa Industdal Estate (ZIE) is located at the highway to Iraq and Saudi
Arabia (seeAppendix E, Ptates72 and 74). The total plot area is 2,500 dunums, 800 for phaseone.
According to the recordsof the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Jordan,there were 951 factories
and workshops registeredby December2000 in Al Zarqa province with a total local and foreign
capitalof (206,922,285)ID.
The Ministry of Industuy and Trade is planning to locate the ZIE within the boundariesof Al
Ha\hemiaUniver5it\becausea sufficientinfrastructure is availablell.
3.2.I.2.4AL MUWAQARINDUSTRIALESTATE
Muwaqar is a distdct within Amman province located 50 km East of the capital. The 309 sq. km
district contains atntt 0.49o of the Kingdom's population. The relative nearnessto the biggest
agglomeration area of the Kingdom and the availability of groundwater male Muwaqar a
gravitation pole for industries so that we can find about 25 private factories hosted there. Further
advantagesof this district are:
The planned AMIE is located at the highway to Iraq and Saudi Arabia 50 km East of the capital
and 50 km away from Queen Alia International Ai{poft (QAIA) see Appendix (E), plates 83 and
84. The total plot areais 6,000 dunums, 800 reservedfor phaseone.
3.2.1.2.5AIRPORTINDUSTRIALESTATE
Queen Alia Intemational Airport (QAIA) is located at Zizya 32 km south of Amman" . As with
other intemational airports, the QAIA offers a lot of utilities to serye passengers and cargo.
Furthermore, it hosts a 2O-dunumfree zone administratedby the Fee Zone Cooperation for the
purposeof serying transit trade of goods transportedby air (seeAppendix E, Plate 82).
The planned 250-dunum Queen Alia Intemational Airport Industrial Estate (QAIAIE) is located
within the borders of QAIA and is intended to host light export-orientedindustries (see Plate 6).
The selectedplot is almost flat with a slight decline of 19oto the south. The designersof QAIAIE
divided the plot into I I sectionsoffering a total number of 74 single industrial plots33.
. Entrancegate;
. Indusftial plots;
. Adminishation complex;
. Sewagenetwork to be connectedto the existing SewageTreatmentPlant;
. Primary and secondaryroads;
. Elec. High and low tension and streetlighting network;
. Telecommunicationnetwork;
. Rainwaterdischargenetwork;
. Road fire hydrants;
. Drinking water network:
. Undergroundwater reservoirs,
. Elevatedwater tank;
. Greenbelt.
The design could provide the maximum exploitation of the plot in which the percentagesare
shownin Table l6:
TABLE 16
SHAREOF AREA AND FUNCTIONIN AIRPORTINDUSTRIALESTATE
A close look to this project can summarizethe evaluationin the following Table 17.
TABLE 17
LOCATIONEVALUATION OF AIRPORTINDUSTRIALESTATE
3.2.1.2.6
AL HESAINDUSTRIALESTATE
A1 Hesa is one of the localities within Al Tafila province which has 9,629 personsand is located
on the deseft highway about 50 km away from the province's center Tafila (seeAppendix E, plate
96)14 . This area is largely used by Jordan PhosphateMining Company for mining phosphateraw
material.
The total plot area of Al Hesa Industrial Estate (AHIE) is 4,064 dunums, and is to be erectedin
phases.This Estatefacesthe following challenges:
l. Repellentenvironmentand climate;
2. Great distancesto country boundariesl
3. Small amount ofpersons in a relatively wide area;
4. Lack of trained labor force.
Tafila is a city located in the southernpart of the Kingdom, about 180 km away from the capital.
Al Tafila is alsoa provinceof2,l l4 sq.km with 69,920citizensrslsee AppendixE. Plate100).
This province embodies various kinds of natural resourcessuch as phosphatel6.It is also well
known as a fertile agricultural land where the availability of water makes it suitable for cultivation
and stockbreeding.The Industrial Labor Force (ILF) in this province is employed in the field of
mining and quarrying3T. According to the recordsof the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Jordan,
there were 27 factories and workshops registeredby December2000 in A[ Tafila province with a
total local and foreign capital of 5,742,000JD.
The high rate of unemployment is one of the reasonsfor the establishmentof Tafila Industrial
Accordingto thc2002projection.
35 SeeTable5. Depanment of Statisticspopulation
census199.[.
36 JordanPhosphate MiningCompany udlizeIhephosphatein AL Hesamines.
to theindustrial
3 7 According survey,whichwasconducted in theyear1996by theDepartment thereare5,123persons
ofStatistics,
employedin thcindustrial
seclorwhere4,859areemployed in Ihefieldofminingandquaryingin ninedifferententerprises.
t1t.\P.IER l HRIil..
3.2.1.2.8
AL MAFRAQINDUSTRIALESTATE
Al Mafraq is one of the 12 Jordanianprovinces and lies in the north region with a total area of
26,435 sq. Km. Mafraq city is the province center with a population of 38,393 citizens. We find
the following naluralresourcesin rhispror ince:
Despite low rainfall ratesin Al Mafraq province, there are about 431 wells used for irdgation and
household usage38. Generally spealing, Al Mafraq province has a big potential that can be
exploited by industry for the following reasons:
The proposed site of Al Mafraq lndustrial Estate (ALMIE) is located at the highway to Iraq and
Syria (see Appendix E, Plates 6l-64). Total plot area is 2,250 dunums, 800 for phase one.
According to the records of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Jordar, 207 factories and
workshopswere registeredby December2000 in Al Mafraq province with a total local and foreign
capitalof 86,518,100JD (seePlate9).
3.2.1.2.9MADABA INDUSTRIALESTATE
Madaba is one of the twelve Jordanianprovince located to the south of Amman and occupies an
area of 2,008 sq. km with 119,140persons(seeTable 5)40 . Madaba is a well-known historic city
known for its famous Madaba mosaic map that was made around 560 ADar . The proposedsite of
Madaba Industrial Estate (MADIE) is located 13 km from Madaba city to the south of Amman
(seePlate 86) with a total plot areaof 500 dunums.
l. Al TajamouatIndustrial City;
2. Ad-Dulayl Industdal Park;
3. Cyber City;
4. JordanGateway43;
Dhlilar is part of Al Zarqa province and is located to the east of Zarqa city with 15,355persons
according to the 1994 census4o. Projection for the year 2002 (seeplate 34) shows an increasero
17,001persons,which reflects the availability of sufficient labor force located in investmentarea
C with 757o tax and income exemption. Ad-Dulayl Industrial park (ADIp) enjoy having further
advantageswhich attractprivate investorsto establishtheir industriesin this areawhich are:
The location of Ad-Dulayl Industrial Park is only rwo km away from Dhtil city and about 2l km
away from Zarqa (seeAppendix E, Plate 68).
Starting srategy of Cyber City was the developmentand promotion of infomation technology.
Meantime, any interested investors are welcome to establish their industry in other branches.
About 700 are actually employed in this industrial park compared to 60,000, according to
company records,which were expectedto be employed.
3.2.2.4JORDANGATEWAY
"The Jordan Industrial Joint Gatewqy Project is actually composed of th)o industridl complexes
on either side of the Jordan River betweenIsrael and Jordan. WhiLethe Israeli project will be
smalL and is meant mainly for offices, warehouse[ and export and trade-related activities, the
Jordanian side will be a full-fledged industrial cotnplexflanking the Jordqn River. The project
will permanently aLter the character of the Jordan River Valley, which is overwhelmingly rural
t741."
The Jordan Industrial Joint Gateway ProjectsCompany planned the constructionof an industrial
park that straddlesthe Jordan River between Israel and Jordan (see Appendix E, Plate 56 and
58)4E. "The Jordan Gatewayproject, a 50-50joint venturebetweenIsraeli anclJor(lqnian private
sector interests, was conceived to straddle the Jordan River just south of the Sheikh Hussein
Br lge, one of two border crossingswith Israel. Environmentalistsin Israel voiced concernsthat
industDrmaj pose a threet to the already scarce watersflowing in the Jordan River and threaten
the local Lushecosystems.rnd downsteam environs[75],"
"Opposition to the Jordan Gateh'ay Project is based on its location. The Jordan Ri.ver Valley is a
relatively pristine and undevelopedarea, one of the few remaining such places in the region, In
addition, it is a well-known nature and heritage site. Erecting an indu[trial project within close
proximity to the river will change the Landscapeand the character of the area .for the worse,
regardlessof how careful the sponsorsare in implementingenvironmentalmedsures.The region's
major environmentalNGOs are all opposing the site [76]."
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