Green Corridor Development as an Approach for Environmental Sustainability in Jordan

Abstract

The expansion of urban areas leads the loss of green spaces causing many environmental and economic problems. The infrastructure has been carried to the rural areas to deal with the needs of populations, reducing the green vegetation. This isolates one habitat area from other habitats and increases the fragmentation. A green corridor can connect fragmented habitats. Thus, this research aims to analyze and provide a green corridor in four different cities of Jordan. Through study some case studies, review of articles, researches, data collection, GIS, observations and maps derived from Jordanian ministries were used for the analysis of a green corridor in four cities in the northwest of Jordan. This research provides a comprehensive planning of the biogeographically areas, ecotourism sites and variety of vegetation in the protected areas of namely, Ajloun Forest Reserve and Dibben Forest Reserve, to link them in the biodiversity and conservation regions of the Al-Salt and north Amman, after identifying these diverse areas of vegetation cover and wildlife in each governorate. In addition, the research discusses ecological, environmental and economic effects of applying a green corridor as a sustainable city approach in Jordan. In other words, the purpose of this study is to suggest a sustainable proposal by analyzing green area zones and green corridor axes to improve the nature and the environment in Jordan. This proposal adapts urban areas with the establishment of green corridor connecting conservation areas in Jerash and Ajloun to Al-Salt and north of Amman. Such a green corridor can lead an increase of local and international tourism which may improve the economic strength and can increase the job opportunities for citizens to live in a more ecological urban environment. Keywords: Environmental sustainability; green corridor; connectivity; planning; Jordan

Linear Greenery in Urban Areas and Green Corridors Case Study: Blvd. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Blvd. Hristijan Todorovski Karposh, Skopje, North Macedonia

“…This conclusion can be useful not only for highways but also for other roads on city territories. Some researchers put accent on the fact that green corridors are supporting wildlife (Aziz & Rasidi, 2014;Alexandre et al, 2010;Al Masri et al, 2019;Briffett et al, 2004). In their research on a study area of the Zahara River, Aziz & Rasidi (2014) argued that the green corridor should be close to a wetland area to support the wildlife.…”

“…Green corridors should be separated from highways with buffer zones to protect the wildlife and to provide safe places for visitors (Alexandre et al, 2010). Another role of green corridors is that they can help in the processes of wild animals reproduction, which is made possible by mixing of wildlife individuals from different habitats (Al Masri et al, 2019). A study which also explores human relationships with nature was performed in Singapore (Briffett et al, 2004).…”

“…In addition, green corridors, as local open spaces which are easily accessible to citizens, can play a strategic role as traffic-free recreational routeways (Groome, 1990). Some authors place the strongest emphasis on the importance of green corridors in terms of nature and environment protection (Al Masri et al, 2019), while some others consider that the most important role of green corridors is allowing exchange between natural living elements, by connecting different areas or different habitats (Ćurĉić & ĐurĊić, 2013). The term green corridors and the idea of green corridor design emerged in the 1980s.…”

“…That means achieving sustainable urban planning by improving the quality of life for citizens (Teimouri & Yigitcanlar, 2018). Green connectivity is improving the level of sustainability for the residents because linking green areas with green corridors provides numerous environmental benefits in open areas from the aspect of protection, improvement of natural resources and support of environmental requirements (Eraghi et al, 2015;Al Masri et al, 2019).…”

Interplay among institutional actors for sustainable economic development—Role of green policies, ecoprenuership, and green technological innovation

“…These burning concerns make it necessary to align the notion of sustainability with the old economic practices to achieve economic growth that is harmless to the environment (Khoshnava et al, 2019). Linking economic corridors with green corridors provides opportunities for economies to achieve fiscal stability with sustainability (Al Masri et al, 2019). The evolvement of green corridors is possible by incorporating green into the existing national policy to provide states with opportunity for growth as it enhances societal and environmental welfare and acts as a source of support from the international community (Kasztelan, 2017).…”