ASLA 2012 Professional and Student Awards Program
Concealed Identification and Credit Form
Entry Number: 415
Project Title: Protecting Petra: A New Seventh Wonder
Official Entrant: Design Workshop, Inc. – Aspen, Colorado
Lead Designer: Design Workshop, Inc. – Aspen, Colorado
Landscape Architect of Record: Kurt Culbertson – Design Workshop, Inc.
Client/Owner (if applicable): Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA)
Please indicate if you wish client name to be kept confidential: ___yes _x__no
Photography/Image credit:
Image 1 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 2 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 3 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 4 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 5 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 6 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 7 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 8 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 9 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 10 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 11 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 12 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 13 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 14 Design Workshop, Inc.
Image 15 Design Workshop, Inc.
Additional Project Credits:
Lead Land Planner & Landscape Architect: Design Workshop, Inc.
Aspen, Colorado
Tourism Planning: Austria Tourism Consultants
Vienna, Austria
Local Outreach: JCP SRL
Amman, Jordan
Ghassan Nasser
Aqaba, Jordan
Local Planning Experts: Sr. Saad AlAyyash, Al al-Bayt University
Mafraq, Jordan
Majed Naber
Amman, Jordan
Local Landscape Architect: Dr. Erin Addison, USUFRUCT
Amman, Jordan
Transportation Planner: Georg Hauger, Vienna University of Technology
Vienna, Austria
Soils Expert: Mahmoud Hasan Al-Freihat, Ministry of Agriculture
Amman, Jordan
ASLA 2012 Professional Awards
Analysis and Planning Category
Descriptive Data Summary
1
Entry Number: PA-415
Project Title: Protecting Petra: A New Seventh Wonder
Project Location (City & State): Petra Region, Jordan
Project Type: Strategic Regional, Community and Tourism Master Plan
Project Statement | A 6th century Nabataen archaeological site, Petra was named a UNESCO World Heritage site
in 1985 and in 2007 was voted a “New Seventh Wonder of the World.” The Petra region, spanning 197,685
hectares, draws nearly 1 million visitors per year, a popularity that deeply threatens its UNESCO status. The
Strategic Master Plan, therefore, protects the unique cultural heritage and archaeological wonders while providing
for an anticipated doubling of population by 2030. A balance is achieved between cultural protection, population
growth, environmental resources, water scarcity, infrastructural revitalization, child labor, tourism draw and
economic sustainability.
Project Narrative | Inhabited since prehistoric times, the Nabataean caravan city of Petra, situated between the
Red Sea and the Dead Sea, was an important crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia and bears a
unique testimony of a disappeared civilization in which ancient Eastern traditions blended with Hellenistic
architecture. This heritage is at risk due to an unprecedented tourism draw over the last decade and a rapid
growth in the regional population. A multi-dimensional tension exists between the need to protect and preserve
the archaeological resource and to promote and sustain the tourism potential of the region for the economic
benefit of the country. Visitation to Petra is the second largest component of the Jordanian economy. As a young
tour operator expressed, “this is not our treasure – we share it with the world and we need to hand it over
undestroyed to our children…” Local residents and leaders understand that the integrity of these resources is
critical to the long-term economic health of the region and the well being of local residents. To address these
challenges, the Jordanian government established the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA)
with authority over a 197,685 hectare region including and surrounding the Petra Archaeological Park (PAP) which
contains the most highly visited archaeological sites.
Role | The landscape architect was responsible for the large scale master plan of the region as well as the
detailed placemaking plans for each of the six communities. The project highlights the importance of landscape
architecture in the 21st century, not only how the profession can interact with and guide a multi-disciplinary
international team, but also how the profession can inform sustainable, comprehensive visions at all scales in the
global context. The plan balances physical planning and strategic recommendations while exhibiting the full range
of landscape architecture – from regional planning spawned from the McHargian tradition to town-scale planning
and placemaking. A comprehensive approach that included factors such as cultural significance, steep slopes,
infrastructure, water dependence and habitat has been heretofore unknown in Jordan and therefore a McHargian-based
analysis was necessary to identify a common starting point between all parties.
In a departure from prior plans, the Strategic Plan focuses on the entire 197,685 hectare region, beginning with the
creation of a comprehensive geographic information system database, the first such database of its kind in Jordan,
which draws information from non-governmental organizations, national ministries, and original research. The
creation of a public database overlaying once disparate sources of information, many previously not available
electronically, has resulted in a tool for collaborative land planning in the present and future.
The land and infrastructure data was used to analyze land sensitivity and growth efficiency to identify areas for
future development and areas for conservation. Nearly 400 participants including local leaders, women’s groups,
youth groups and local subject experts provided input in prioritizing the land sensitivity factors such as steep
slopes, wadis (similar to arroyos), views and agricultural soils. High priority was placed on protecting wadis from
excessive development encroachment.
Water | Jordan is one of the most water-poor nations in the world, yet ironically overdevelopment in and along
the existing drainages has led to flooding within and around the park, resulting in damage to the archeological sites
ASLA 2012 Professional Awards
Analysis and Planning Category
Descriptive Data Summary
2
and visitor safety. The Strategic Plan, therefore, calls for a watershed management concept for the region. Town
boundaries have been re-organized by watersheds, with land coverage and zoning within each watershed balanced
to prevent flooding and wadis zoned as conservation with substantial 50 meter setbacks to discourage
encroachment.
Conservation | The future land use plan sets aside 93.8% of the region as conservation zones and open space,
providing a regional conservation system that links the Dana Reserve on the north with the newly designated
Massouda and Rahmeh reserves on the south. Such a strategic solution provides for the corridors and linkages
critical to the movement of wildlife within the region, but also calls for a network of trails and a lodge to lodge
ecotourism strategy which will provide employment opportunities for the small villages of the region.
The conservation zone does allow for continuation of the pastoral use that is the economic tradition of the seven
Bedouin tribes that occupy the landscape. An extensive public engagement process was employed to gain the
input of both nomadic and urban residents of the region. In addition, the planning effort engaged national and
international non-governmental organizations such as UNESCO, the Petra National Trust, and the Royal Society for
the Conservation of Nature for valuable input. Gaining an understanding from the perspectives of these different
groups informed a plan to discourage an over-dependence upon tourism and creation of concepts for promoting
continued traditional practices.
Re-introducing Agriculture | The Master Plan employs agricultural soils preservation regulations, ensuring that
the current dryland farming practices may continue. The economy of the Petra Region had traditionally relied on
agriculture. However, the importance of agriculture has diminished compared to tourism because of the higher
income prospects in tourism and the increasingly difficult climatic conditions for agriculture. The main growth
driver for the past decade has been tourism. Tourism in Jordan has fluctuated because for reasons such as political
insecurity in the region or larger macro-economic developments. Therefore, economic diversification including a
re-introduction of agriculture can reduce the dependency on tourism and would offer a larger range of job
opportunities.
Tourism | Currently, international conglomerate companies dominate the economic opportunities of the region
while the local people have little opportunity to earn a livelihood. Poverty juxtaposes a rich tourism based
economy. The plan outlines a series of strategic investments which will raise Petra’s stature as an international
tourism destination and provide new opportunities for residents of the region and the country of Jordan. The plan
also addresses dependencies on unsustainable tourism practices and provides opportunities for economic
diversification. The plan provides strategies for destination management and marketing to increase the average
length of stay and average spending per visitor, as well as visitor satisfaction. The economic development strategy
works with the land use plans to define high and low-intensity tourism areas which provide different levels of
social functions, attractions, accommodation, investment, transportation and infrastructure.
Implementation | Zoning and placemaking plans were created for each of the six communities, taking into
consideration public input regarding tourism development, density, character of development and transportation
recommendations. This includes an integrated regional bus system which moves commercial bus traffic to an
intercept parking and transportation facility at the outskirts of Wadi Musa, the major gateway to the Park. Tourists
and locals are then transported via smaller, more environmentally friendly buses to the archaeological park and to
the other communities and sites of the region. This was the first regional proposal for managing the
transportation impacts of mass tourism. The plan is recognized as an important step in the Petra region's
transformation from an attraction to a global destination. The plan provides a long term vision which guides the
preservation of one of the new Seven Wonders of the World serving as a model for similar circumstances which
seek to balance tourism development with natural resource and cultural preservation. As a measure of the Plan's
success, the Petra Archaeological Park is currently being expanded by nearly 22% to further protect the
archaeological resources and identify boundaries based on physical landmarks, including roads, wadis, Bedouin
routes of travel and wildlife movement corridors.
ASLA 2012 Professional Awards
Analysis and Planning Category
Project Captions
1. Petra is the symbol of Jordan and also its most visited tourism attraction. The Plan addresses a
dynamic set of issues and achieves a unique balance of culture, archaeological resources, tourism,
economic development and future growth.
2. Cited as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, Petra risks losing its designation as a UNESCO World
Heritage site due to rapid, unplanned population and tourism growth.
3. Adjacent to the Eastern Boundary of the Petra Archaeological Park are six main communities, each
struggling to accommodate rapid population growth, sustain water and maintain agricultural land for
future generations. The Plan developed comprehensive land management strategies which capitalized
on the local identity and managed tourism.
4. Nearly 400 participants including, local leaders, men’s groups, women’s groups, youth groups and
local subject experts provided input on the weighting of a myriad of factors for the landscape
conservation analysis and the development analysis. This integration of a McHargian-style analysis is the
first of its kind in Jordan.
5. Vital not only to the ecological and cultural sustainability of the landscape but also to the future
economic and aesthetic vigor, the conservation analysis identifies and prioritizes locations in the region
best suited for overall conservation potential.
6. The development analysis is based on managing and accommodating an estimated doubling of
population growth by locating development in logical areas within close proximity to existing
infrastructure. The future increase in density provides the ability to foster community centers as well as
strategically address issues of water management.
7. The Strategic Plan addresses water scarcity, management and flood control by balancing
development within each watershed district. Prior to the Plan, watershed planning was not practiced
and, as a result, many devastating flash floods occurred within the region. On one occasion, flash
flooding in the Archaeological Park injured visitors.
8. As the Strategic Plan calls to develop at higher densities, the town center model demonstrates to the
communities how many activities can be consolidated into a single location. The model also becomes
the framework for a more inclusive relationship between private hotels and tourism, local tourism
endeavors and the local community.
9. To accommodate future growth, Umm Sayhoun will be infilled with residential and mixed-use
buildings creating a dynamic and lively atmosphere. It will not only serve the local community but will
also become a location for tourists to experience local culture as well as enjoy traditional cuisine,
shopping and community events.
10. A main goal of the Strategic Plan is to transform the Petra Region, amassing 1 million visitors per
year, into a tourism destination as opposed to an attraction. The new tourism market is designed to
grow in order to include a destination element in each of the six towns and better distribute economic
gain across the region.
ASLA 2012 Professional Awards
Analysis and Planning Category
Project Captions
11. Illustrating the concept of the revived downtown, the Rajif transformation facilitates a communal
experience by creating multiple destinations within walkable distance from adjacent residential
neighborhoods.
12. Historically, agriculture and the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic herbs have been a large part of
the culture of the Petra Region. The Strategic Plan proposes the re-introduction of these historic
practices in a more public and formal role. Not only will they serve locals and tourists alike but shall also
recall the past use of the landscape.
13. The Master Plan for Wadi Musa demonstrates the notion of placemaking and the application of the
regional master plan to the town level. Community and environmental layers are infused into the
existing zoning and land use to create revitalized towns. This level of detailed planning is applied to each
of the 6 towns in the Petra region.
14. Amidst a growing population and societal changes, the Plan seeks to revitalize the existing Wadi and
stitch the landscape into the town as a public open space, park network and a dynamic gateway into the
Archaeological Park. Community growth is provided in the form of residential infill while tourism uses
are integrated throughout.
15. Upon the completion of the Plan, numerous near-term and long-term action items have been
implemented. Among those items is the expansion of the Petra Archaeological Park by 22% and the
recommended revitalization for downtown Wadi Musa. This will set a precedent for the remaining 5
towns and region.
