Many Jordanians are interested in the political and economic aspects of the Abdali development project, and some have already formed opinions on how it stands to affect traffic patterns and access to public transport in the neighborhoods of Abdali and Shmeisani. However, there is also a false impression that the project aspires solely towards the creation of a business and financial district. Sara Kilani discusses the Abdali Boulevard, a development for shopping and leisure that will potentially rival those of neighboring cities.
Most of the great cities of the world, such as Paris, London and New York, have lively and pedestrian-friendly downtowns that play host to businesses, shops, and public areas. Amman is not known for such an area. The part of town known as wast al-balad has developed a reputation for being old, run-down, and difficult to navigate by both car and foot; in short, the Amman city center is hardly what one would call a shopping and leisure destination. In response, the Abdali Boulevard Company is developing a 370 by 21-meter pedestrian strip with 12 buildings that will host both retail space and offices.
According to Diala Muwlla, communications manager for the Abdali Boulevard Company, "The idea of an organized outdoor shopping experience still doesn't fully exist in Jordan. This will be the first. There is a well-studied tenant mix, and the [customer] traffic generated by each store is well-studied. Every store is placed in a location based on a study. We've already received over 180 letters of intent for the 130 shops that will be available." According to Muwlla, Amman has vast and untapped retail space as compared to other cities in the region. Of Amman's gaping retail space, Muwlla claims, "We are the lowest in the region. By opening the Boulevard, there will be 500,000 square meters [of retail space], which will be on a par with major destinations. There is room for retail in Amman."
The Abdali Boulevard Company conducts individual brand assessments on a per-block basis. This is an oddly scientific process, whereby stores expected to generate large amounts of traffic are carefully positioned on street corners. Muwlla explains, "We will place big traffic generators like a huge record/DVD/bookstore, for example, at the end of the block to make sure that people walk all the way to the end. We have to select the best location for each store. Some brands might not fit, while others will fit perfectly." In addition to perfect positioning, she adds, "A retail destination has to include a well-organized tenant mix. We did a positioning exercise looking at brands that aren't already in Amman. The difference between the Boulevard and malls is that in a closed mall you cannot have a 24-hour experience, but with an outdoor boulevard you can."
The company's studies have also segmented potential visitors to the Boulevard into Jordanians and foreigners visiting for work or tourism, confident that the Boulevard will encourage tourists to spend more time in Amman. At the moment, it seems that most tourists spend only a short period in Amman's hotels before moving on to the country's major archaeological sites.
Most of the city's medium-term leases currently target tourists from the Gulf, but the company will solicit Gulf and non-Gulf tourists alike with 400 serviced apartments to be managed by Rotana. The development will also include serviced apartments targeting CEOs, businesses, and high-ranking expatriates who choose to live in close proximity to their offices.
The Boulevard's pedestrian area will include an array of neighborhood services and all the buildings will have food and beverage terraces. Ample parking will be provided by the 1,600 parking spaces in the Boulevard. Aesthetics will be a constant consideration. For example, there will be no chillers on the rooftops, which will all be used as food and beverage outlets. The Abdali Project has even established Jordan District Energy, a partnership between Abdali and Tabreed Dubai, to provide centralized cooling and heating. This should reduce energy costs and pollution, as well as eliminate unsightly heaters and cooling units hanging outside the window of each apartment.
Muwlla is quick to point out that despite the benefits for senior executives and business people who want to work and live in the Abdali area, the Boulevard itself is not a gated community. It is aimed at ordinary people who want to shop, eat, drink coffee, go to clubs, and relax. Regular family entertainment and festivals will take place, and the project is designed to be green and pedestrian friendly.
Addressing popular concerns that such public spaces generate litter, loitering, and a general nuisance, Muwlla claims, "It's a project that His Majesty envisioned to create a better lifestyle in Amman...we believe that a beautiful environment mandates good behavior. In Solidere in Beirut, they initially had problems with people littering. Eventually, people realized that workers were following them around picking up their litter and it finally sank in that it was their responsibility to keep this beautiful area clean, so they stopped littering! It really does work. The environment we will create will be positive and clean." Pointing out that her company already has an active corporate social responsibility department, which most recently supported and participated in the Dead Sea Marathon, Muwlla explains, "We are interacting with local society and the project is here to serve the community of Amman."
© Jordan Business 2007
