Jameel C40 Urban Planning Climate Labs and Greater Amman Municipality unveil cooler Al-Taj Street pilot

Amman, Jordan – 10 September 2026 

Representatives from the Greater Amman Municipality, the Jameel C40 Urban Planning Climate Labs, and Community Jameel inaugurated today a new tactical urbanism project along Al-Taj Street in Amman’s Al-Yarmouk District. The pilot project demonstrates how rapid, low-cost urban transformations can protect residents from extreme heat while creating safer, more welcoming spaces for children, students, and local families.

What is the Al-Taj Street pilot?

The Al-Taj Street pilot forms part of the work by the Jameel C40 Urban Planning Climate Labs, a partnership between C40 Cities and Community Jameel, which works directly with the cities of Amman and Chennai to align their spatial plans and land-use policies with climate targets, emissions pathways and climate risk data to deliver more sustainable, people-centred urban environments. The Labs have helped shape 15 urban planning policies, regulations and municipal strategies. In total, these policy and planning initiatives directly reach 4.5 million people, including 2.52 million climate-vulnerable residents across Amman.

Tactical urbanism uses short-term, low-cost, and scalable interventions to test long-term spatial change. Data collected through monitoring and evaluation of the site following the pilot’s inauguration will be analysed to inform future neighbourhood upgrading projects across Amman.

Delivered through the Jameel C40 Labs, the pilot reimagines two vulnerable sites along the congested Al-Taj Street corridor. By targeting a major school crossing for four schools and a central traffic island, the project turns key stretches of exposed asphalt into shaded, community-centred public space.

What’s changing on Al-Taj Street?

Co-designed directly with local residents, the transformation delivers immediate climate solutions alongside vital community benefits: 

• A cooler, safer school zone: Bright, heat-reflective street art now transforms dark asphalt at school gates, lowering surface temperatures while slowing traffic to protect students on their journey to and from school.
• Shaded waiting and social spaces: New shade canopies, climbing green trellises, and native drought-tolerant planters offer cool, comfortable resting spots for residents.
• Safe spaces for play: Children in the neighbourhood now have a dedicated, 250m2 play area placed safely away from heavy traffic, featuring custom climbing structures built from recycled materials.
• Community pride and stewardship: Over 100m2 of vibrant wall murals were painted by local youth and volunteer groups, fostering the long-term community stewardship essential for sustained urban transformation.

Reactions

Ahmad Al-Malkawi, Chairman of the Greater Amman Municipality Committee, said: “The Al-Taj Street project represents a pivotal opportunity to translate urban planning and design principles from a theoretical framework into tangible solutions that respond to the daily needs of residents. This tactical urbanism intervention provides a scalable and replicable model for neighbourhoods across Amman, particularly those most vulnerable to climate impacts. 

Through this participatory approach, we look forward to developing a more resilient, sustainable, and safe urban environment, while fostering accessible, inclusive, and welcoming public spaces in close collaboration with our international partners and the local community.”

George Richards, Director of Community Jameel, said: “Drawing on traditional urbanism practices in the Arab world as well as research and evidence-based design, the Al-Taj Street pilot shows how climate planning can move from strategy into implementation, creating accessible, climate-resilient public spaces for residents. Working closely with Greater Amman Municipality, the Jameel C40 Labs have helped align Amman’s urban planning policies with climate targets, emissions pathways and climate risk data to deliver more sustainable, people-centred neighbourhoods in the city.“

Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities, said: “Great urban planning isn’t just drawn on paper; it’s tested on the streets alongside the people who live there. By combining a deeply people-centred approach with tactical urbanism, the Jameel C40 Urban Planning Climate Labs and Greater Amman Municipality are turning ambitious climate goals into tangible change along Al-Taj street in Al Yarmouk neighbourhood. This project demonstrates how quick, cost-effective interventions can transform asphalt and unshaded public space into vibrant, heat-resilient communities – offering a clear blueprint not just for other neighborhoods across Amman, but for cities across the region.”

The Al-Taj Street tactical urbanism project serves as a localised demonstration of the Jameel C40 Labs’ broader policy and planning initiatives in Amman. Crucial to this wider effort is supporting the adoption of the Amman Zoning & Planning Bylaw in 2025, which represents a landmark shift for the city by formalising environmental considerations and community participation in urban planning for the very first time.

This legislative framework provides the foundation for neighbourhood-scale action. Building on this, the Jameel C40 Labs developed a climate-responsive neighbourhood plan for Kherbet Al-Souq – also known as Amman’s “Southern Gate” – a five-square-kilometre area expected to grow from around 25,000 residents today to 42,000 by 2050. In May 2026, the plan was formally handed over to the Greater Amman Municipality by the  Jameel C40 Labs, marking an important step in translating the Labs’ climate planning work into a practical framework for managing the neighbourhood’s growth and resilience. The plan focuses on measures including shaded and greener streets, safer walking routes, improved water management, accessible public spaces, climate-smart infrastructure and support for local livelihoods. 

The Al-Taj Street tactical urbanism project is a practical, localised demonstration of this broader neighbourhood approach, showing how climate-responsive planning principles can be translated into immediate, visible improvements while generating lessons that can inform implementation and future neighbourhood planning across Amman.