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Revision as of 20:38, 12 March 2010 by 82.166.42.94 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)32°0′36″N 35°11′6″E / 32.01000°N 35.18500°E / 32.01000; 35.18500 Rawabi (Template:Lang-ar, meaning "The Hills") is the name of the first planned city in the West Bank, Palestine. Rawabi is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) northwest of Ramallah, 3.5 km north of Birzeit, 20 km to the north of Jerusalem and 25 Km south of Nablus. The Jordanian capital of Amman is 70 Km to the east of Rawabi. Rawabi’s municipal boundaries will encompass 6,300,000 square meters of land. The development is linked to a $500m affordable mortgage scheme. Looking west from the future location of Rawabi, one has a panoramic view of the Mediterranean coast of Israel.
Rawabi is planned to include more than 5,000 housing units, spread across 23 neighborhoods. providing accommodation for a population of 25,000 people. Additional residential and commercial units slated for subsequent construction phases will ultimately serve a city with a population of 40,000. The Palestinain Authority does not need Israeli approval for construction since the land for Rawabi falls entirely within Area 'A' and Area 'B', which is under full Palestinian control.
The residential areas will surround a city centre that includes retail space, professional offices, banks, a hotel, restaurants, and a movie theater. In other parts of the city, will build mosque, church, schools, and medical clinics.
The Washington Post reports that Rawabi "is specifically designed for upwardly mobile families of a sort that in the United States might gravitate to places such as Reston, VA. The developments are also relying on another American import, the home mortgage, including creation of a Fannie Mae-style institution for the West Bank".
The total cost of the development is estimated at over US$700 million and it is estimated that it will generate between 8,000 and 10,000 new construction sector jobs. The project is a public-private partnership between the Bayti Real Estate Investment Company and the Palestinian Authority. The Rawabi economic growth strategy has the aim of creating 3,000 to 5,000 new jobs in "knowledge economy" industries including information technology, pharmaceuticals and health care.
The Rawabi masterplan was developed by planners, architects and engineers from international firms, working with local experts from Birzeit and An-Najah National Universities and the technical teams of Bayti. It has been approved by the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Higher Planning Council.
Obstacles
A few obstacles still exist from the Palestinian side which includes land that has not yet been bought from the individual owners and a lack of commitment from the Palestinian Authority to provide the necessary infrastructure as well as a pending approval. From the Israeli side, two obstacles include no finalized approval from the Israeli water authority and Israeli authorities have yet to grant permission for an additional access highway to pass through Area 'C' since no official request has been made and no details of the route itself have been provided. One expectation is that the Palestinian Authority will request that this part of Area 'C' be give Area 'A' status. This highway to Ramallah would need to cross Route 465 used by residents of nearby Israeli settlements Ateret and Halamish.
References
- Westervelt, Eric (30 May 2008). "Planned Palestinian city in West Bank faces hurdles". National Public Radio. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- ^ Shavit, Ari (30 July 2009). "A new Palestine". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
- McCarthy, Rory (8 September 2009). "Rawabi, the new Palestinian city that could rise on the West Bank". The Guardian. p. 27. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
- Koutsoukis, Jason (19 September 2009). "Palestinians pursue their own suburban dreams". The Age. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
- Koutsoukis, Jason (12 September 2009). "Serenity soon: Palestinians buy into a modern oasis". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
- Macintyre, Donald (23 May 2008). "Palestine's economy is like a coiled spring, says British financier". The Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
- "Palestine Investment Conference: Project and concept profiles" (PDF). Bethlehem: Palestinian Investment Promotion Agency. 21–23 May 2008. pp. 60–61. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - Macintyre, Donald (3 September 2009). "Israeli moves give Blair hope of rebuilding political trust". The Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
- Flynn, Sean (9 December 2008). "West Bank development to reconnect Palestinians to their land". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- Fendel, Hillel (22 February 2010). "PA Demands: Give Us Land for Highway". Israel National News. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- Schneider, Howard (23 November 2009). "Palestinians looking to U.S.-style suburban housing, financing". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- Gavin, James (3 November 2009). "Palestine property investors to roll out thousands of units". The National. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ "Masterplan". Rawabi. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- "Rawabi: An Economic Growth Strategy for the West Bank" (PDF). RTI International. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- "Diar gets nod for Palestine project". MENAFN. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- McCarthy, Rory (8 September 2009). "Rawabi, the new Palestinian city that could rise on the West Bank". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- Hoberman, Hagi (4 March 2010). "ברוואבי תקום המדינה הפלשתינית". B;sheva. Retrieved 9 March 2010.Template:He icon
External links
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