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Live, Work, and Grow in the First Palestinian Planned City

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Winter Edition home 2010 BREAK GROUND ON NEW CITY SITE 10,000 TREES PLANTED LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL INTERESTS IN RAWABI Live, Work, and Grow in the first Palestinian planned city NEWSLETTER WINTER2010 3 CONSTRUCTION OF FIRST 7 QATARI DIAR: PARAMOUNT TO HIGHLIGHTS PHASE BEGIN FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF RAWABI UNPRECEDENTED MASTERPLAN APPROVAL 8 MORTGAGE FINANCE: PROGRAMS: A PATH TO HOME 4 A MODEL FOR FUTURE OWNERSHIP PALESTINIAN CITY DEVELOPMENTS 10 NABLUS MAYOR JOINS REPRESENTATIVES FROM 5 A CITY OF FIRSTS IN BAYTI AND FRANCE’S RENNES PALESTINE: OFFERING A UNIVERSITY TO ESTABLISH BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE AN-NAJAH CENTER FOR URBAN PLANNING 5 MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACTS AWARDED TO 11 LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL PALESTINIAN COMPANIES INTEREST IN RAWABI TO DESIGN RAWABI’S INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKS 15 ADHERING TO BETTER INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS 6 IN SEARCH OF GREENER & PRACTICES PASTURES 10,000 TREES PLANTED UNDER THE GROW 17 RAWABI: MAIN SPONSOR FOR A GREENER PALESTINE OF THE ANNUAL PALESTINE PROGRAM INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 7 ECONOMIC GROWTH Rawabi is being developed by Bayti Real Estate Investment Company – Primary and secondary health care facilities, a police station and a fire jointly owned by Qatari Government-owned Qatari Diar and Ramallah- station will be key features of the city, ensuring a safe, comfortable and based Massar International -- two companies with unsurpassed real healthy environment. The infrastructure and public facilities will benefit estate development experience and extensive knowledge of regional not only Rawabi but also the nine neighboring towns and villages. and international markets. Rawabi will provide more than 5,000 affordable housing units with nine Rawabi will be built as a modern high-tech city with gleaming mid- different floor-plans to choose from, spread across 23 neighborhoods. rise buildings, green parks and shopping areas. It will include fully Rawabi will initially be home to 25,000 residents, with additional developed infrastructure, a business district and commercial center, residential and commercial units slated for subsequent construction private and public schools, mosques and a church, public parks, a hotel phases that will ultimately serve a city with a population of 40,000. and convention center, a cinema, a library and a municipal complex. warm welcome Welcome to the Winter 2009 edition of our newsletter, bringing you the latest updates, information, developments and project news on , the first planned Palestinian city 2009 witnessed many advancements Masterplan in December. Besides Rawabi, (2) the unprecedented final towards the actualization of the new being the first planned city, it also marks approval of the Rawabi Masterplan city of Rawabi. As we usher in a new the first planting of a major forest by by the Palestinian Ministry of Local year, we are also ushering in some Palestinians since Israel took control Government, which set the stage for new developments that are already over 40 years ago. It also represents immediate construction, and (3) the being implemented under Rawabi’s the first time in Palestinian history kickoff of the GROW for a Greener vision of improving the living standards that structured long-term mortgages Palestine program which commenced of Palestinians, boosting employment will be available to target segments with the planting of 10,000 trees in activity and acting as a major catalyst of the Palestinian population such as public parks around Rawabi. of economic growth in Palestine. future Rawabi homeowners (through programs such as AMAL and those We hope you enjoy this issue and look We are proud to report that the offered through local banks). forward to reporting on our continued initial stages in the construction of future progress. Rawabi has commenced following In this issue, our lead stories will cover the Palestinian Ministry of Local (1) the initial stage of construction The Editors Government’s approval of the city’s which began on the new city of 2 CONSTRUCTION OF FIRST PHASE BEGIN FOLLOWING UNPRECEDENTED MASTERPLAN APPROVAL HEAVY EQUIPMENT & BULLDOZERS BREAK GROUND ON NEW CITY SITE Rawabi, the first Palestinian city The presence of engineers, workers and awarding several major construction to be built in accordance with a bulldozers on-site prompted excitement contracts to local Palestinian companies. and support among the citizens of Among these, Bayti signed a contract Masterplan, has begun construction neighboring villages, who have eagerly with a consortium of general contractors following the final Masterplan anticipated this vital development since including Shaltaf, Al Fursan Al Thalatha, approval by the Palestinian Ministry the project was announced during the and Al Mumayaza. of Local Government on December last Palestine Investment Conference in 3, 2009. The developer, Bayti Bethlehem. Commenting on the launch, Ghanem Bin Saad Al Saad, CEO of Qatari Diar, Real Estate Investment Company, Mr. Wael Bawatneh, head of the Ajjoul the main partner financing the project, initiated excavation work at the site Local Village Council - an adjacent village reaffirmed his company’s commitment after receiving the go-ahead from which borders Rawabi - stated that this to Rawabi’s success and reiterated the Palestinian Authority. In late development will create thousands of strong confidence in the project’s ability much-needed new job opportunities to contribute to meaningful growth of the December, bulldozers and heavy for local citizens. Parts of Ajjoul will Palestinian economy. Al Saad stated equipment began working on the ultimately be incorporated into the new that Rawabi, as a national undertaking, primary construction phase of Rawabi municipality, and current Ajjoul will create thousands of new jobs residential areas and the business residents look forward to the advantages capitalizing on local expertise, skilled district, in accordance with the new that such close proximity to Rawabi will labor, and Palestinian products. As provide. importantly, the project will provide new city’s Masterplan. Bayti has tapped a range of local opportunities for the Palestinian people expertise in the hope of catalyzing to own homes at affordable prices. growth in the Palestinian private sector, 3 masterplan THE FIRST-EVER DETAILED MASTERPLAN A MODEL FOR FUTURE PALESTINIAN CITY DEVELOPMENTS The approval of the Masterplan unique, contemporary techniques considerations. Thus, it provides by Minister Eng. Khaled Fahed and methods in engineering and direction for the manner in which the Qawasmi was an unprecedented architecture. The Masterplan new city will grow and flourish and and definitive move that cleared the integrates exemplary planning influences future land use regulations way for construction to begin on the and design principles, sustainable that will contribute to the achievement first phase of the new Palestinian environmental practices, appropriate of Rawabi’s social, economic, and city. The official Ministry approval architectural features, creative environmental goals. was preceded by the approval of the public areas, and ease of access Palestinian Higher Planning Council earlier this summer. The Rawabi Masterplan was developed by the planners, architects, and engineers from the renowned international firm, AECOM, working with local experts from An Najah and Birzeit Universities and the technical teams of Bayti Real Estate Investment Company and Qatari Diar. Rawabi’s Masterplan represents an important document because it serves as a model for, and articulates a broad vision for, future Palestinian city developments. The Masterplan is a state-of-the-art design and planning document introducing Dr. Khalid Qawasmi, Palestinian Minister of Local Government 4 Multi-Million Dollar Contracts Awarded to Palestinian Companies to Design Rawabi’s Infrastructure Networks A CITY OF FIRSTS IN PALESTINE In an effort to tap into local expertise and involve and stimulate the private sector, Bayti has awarded several OFFERING contracts worth millions of dolllars to local Palestinian companies. Among these, Bayti signed a contract with A BETTER a consortium which includes Universal Company in Nablus and Shahd Engineering in Ramallah, to provide QUALITY OF LIFE comprehensive infrastructure designs for the first stages of construction of the city’s infrastructure networks. The Unlike any other in Palestine, Rawabi will be characterized designs are ready for execution, to include more than as a modern high-tech city with gleaming high-rise 25 kilometers in road networks, sewerage systems, buildings, green parks and shopping areas. Rawabi rainwater harvesting and drinking-water filtration will provide more than 5,000 affordable housing units systems, green area irrigation systems, street lighting, with 9 different styles to choose from, spread across 23 pavements, parks and a fire control system. neighborhoods. Rawabi will initially be home to 25,000 residents, with additional residential and commercial In addition, Bayti awarded a contract to Ziadah units slated for subsequent construction phases that Consultants in Ramallah, who finalized the layouts for will ultimately serve a city with a population of 40,000. the residential neighborhoods to include the detailed It is located in the heart of Palestine, 9 km north of designs for the different building typologies including Ramallah, 20 km north of Jerusalem, and 25 km south structural, architectural and electro mechanical services. of Nablus. Rawabi will constitute its own municipality Also, Ziadah consultants
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