Assessment of the Urban Planning System in Historic Jerash with GIS: Achievements and Challenges for Sustainable Tourism

Abstract

Abstract Tourism based on urban heritage in Jordan represents one of the major income sources that contribute to about 12% of the national income. Cities containing such urban heritage are witnessing a rapid development process with its positive and negative aspects. This paper discusses these aspects in details to assess the current achievements for the city and local community as well as major challenges for sustainable tourism in Jerash. Urban planning issues such as infrastructure and the transportation system, modern and ancient land-use interaction and the addressing of Geocoding, that reduce the efficient use of such heritage in the tourism industry in the city are discussed. A comprehensive survey is designed and distributed in selected areas of the historic site in the city to study some of these issues, as related to tourism industry development, the current urban system and threats to a heritage city, as viewed by the local community. Detailed analysis of the survey is performed in the social and spatial domains that highlight a number of important conclusions. Quality GIS maps are produced to study different variables of interest. Results indicate that the existence of urban heritage in Jerash improved the economic level in the city. However, there are still many obstacles, as related to the urban system and infrastructure in the city, toward achieving sustainable tourism.