An-Najah National University Faculty of Graduate Studies Urban Sprawl in the Shade of Urbanization and planning Legislations: Case Study of Um Al-Sharayet District, Al-Bireh City / Palestine By Hind Basil Mohammed Alaraj Supervisors Dr. Ali Abdelhamid Dr. Zahraa Zawawi This Thesis is Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master in Urban and Regional Planning Engineering, Faculty of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. 2017 ii Urban Sprawl in the Shade of Urbanization and planning Legislations: Case Study of Um Al-Sharayet District, Al-Bireh City / Palestine By Hind Basil Mohammed Alaraj This Thesis was defended successfully on 14/8/2017, and Approved by Defense Committee Members Signature 1. Dr. Ali Abdelhamid / Supervisor .......................... 2. Dr. Zahraa Zawawi/Co-Supervisor .......................... 3. Dr. Samih Alabed / External Examiner .......................... 4. Dr. Ehab Hijazi / Internal Examiner .......................... iii Dedication In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful All praise be to God for all the achievements in my whole life and to be surrounded with grate family and friends where words are inadequate to express my feelings especially toward my family’s endless support and trust in my journey, whether in U.A.E or Palestine. I dedicate all my efforts, achievements and my thesis to my Parents, my husband, my sister and brother, my amazing grandmothers, my uncles and aunts, my family in law, my friends and every single person who hosted me in Palestine. I am really grateful to every single person who supported me in every single tinny step, until I achieved my intention and goal. Thank you all for being the bright side of my life. iv Acknowledgement `I would like to express my gratitude to every person who supported in this thesis and I acknowledge the endless support of supervisors Dr. Zahraa Zawawi and Dr. Ali Abdellhamid and I am thankful for all their advices to accomplish this thesis. I am grateful for all the Palestinian officials in the Palestinian Ministry, Al-Bireh Municipality, every single person and every single corporation for assistance to finalize my thesis. Thanks for all the faculty members of Urban and Regional Planning at An-Najah University because I learnt from them a lot and I tried to make use of all the things I was taught from them in this thesis. v ﺍﻹﻗﺭﺍﺭ ﺃﻨﺎ ﺍﻝﻤﻭﻗﻌﺔ ﺃﺩﻨﺎﻩ ﻤﻘﺩﻤﺔ ﺍﻝﺭﺴﺎﻝﺔ ﺍﻝﺘﻲ ﺘﺤﻤل ﺍﻝﻌﻨﻭﺍﻥ : : Urban Sprawl in the Shade of Urbanization and planning Legislations: Case Study of Um Al-Sharayet District, Al-Bireh City / Palestine ﺍﻝﺯﺤﻑ ﺍﻝﻌﻤﺭﺍﻨﻲ ﻓﻲ ﻅل ﺍﻝﺘﺤﻀﺭ ﻭ ﺘﺸﺭﻴﻌﺎﺕ ﺍﻝﺘﺨﻁﻴﻁ : ﺤﺎﻝﺔ ﺩﺭﺍﺴﻴﺔ ﺤﻲ ﺃﻡ ﺍﻝﺸﺭﺍﻴﻁ، ﻤﺩﻴﻨﺔ ﺍﻝﺒﻴﺭﺓ / ﻓﻠﺴﻁﻴﻥ ﺃﻗﺭ ﺒﺄﻥ ﻤﺎ ﺍﺸﺘﻤﻠﺕ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻫﺫﻩ ﺍﻝﺭﺴﺎﻝﺔ ﺇﻨﻤﺎ ﻫﻲ ﻨﺘﺎﺝ ﺠﻬﺩﻱ ﺍﻝﺨﺎﺹ، ﺒﺎﺴﺘﺜﻨﺎﺀ ﻤﺎ ﺘﻤﺕ ﺍﻹﺸﺎﺭﺓ ﺇﻝﻴﻪ ﺤﻴﺜﻤﺎ ﻭﺭﺩ، ﻭﺃﻥ ﻫﺫﻩ ﺍﻝﺭﺴﺎﻝﺔ ﻜﺎﻤﻠﺔ، ﺃﻭ ﺃﻱ ﺠﺯﺀ ﻤﻨﻬﺎ ﻝﻡ ﻴﻘﺩﻡ ﻤﻥ ﻗﺒل ﻝﻨﻴل ﺃﻴﺔ ﺩﺭﺠﺔ ﺃﻭ ﻝﻘﺏ ﻋﻠﻤﻲ ﺃﻭ ﺒﺤﺜﻲ ﻝﺩﻯ ﺃﻱ ﻤﺅﺴﺴﺔ ﺘﻌﻠﻴﻤﻴﺔ ﺃﻭ ﺒﺤﺜﻴﺔ ﺃﺨﺭﻯ . Declaration The work provided in this thesis, unless otherwise referenced, is the researcher's own work, and has not been submitted elsewhere for any other degree or qualification. ﺍﺴﻡ ﺍﻝﻁﺎﻝﺒﺔ: :Student's name ﺍﻝﺘﻭﻗﻴﻊ : :Signature ﺍﻝﺘﺎﺭﻴﺦ : : Date vi Table of Contents No. Content Page Dedication iii Acknowledgement iv Declaration v Table of Contents vi List of Tables ix List of Figures x Abstract xiii Chapter One: Introduction 1 1.1 Introductory Background 2 1.2 Problem Statement 5 1.3 Objectives 7 1.4 Thesis Questions 8 1.5 Thesis Hypotheses 8 1.6 Plan and Methodology 9 1.6.1 Plan 9 1.6.2 Methodology 9 1.7 Thesis Structure 12 Chapter Two: Literature Review Part I: 14 Urbanization and Urban Sprawl 2.1 Why Urbanization? 15 2.1.1 Urbanization Concept and Trends 16 2.1.2 Urbanization in Developed Countries 21 2.1.3 Urbanization in Developing Countries 23 2.1.4 Urbanization in Arab World 27 2.1.5 Urbanization Impacts and Consequences 32 2.2 Urban Sprawl and Beyond 34 2.2.1 Urban Sprawl Concept and Trends 37 2.2.2 Urban Sprawl in Developed Countries 43 2.2.3 Urban Sprawl in Developing Countries 47 2.2.4 Urban Sprawl Impacts and Consequences 52 Chapter Three: Literature Review Part II: Urbanization, Urban Sprawl and Statutory Planning 59 Laws in Occupied Palestinian Territories 3.1 Urbanization in Occupied Palestinian Territories 60 3.2 Urban Sprawl in Occupied Palestinian Territories 67 Statutory Planning Laws and Policies Role: Power and 3.3 78 Space 3.3.1 Ottoman Period (1850-1917) 82 3.3.2 British Mandatory Period (1917-1948) 84 vii No. Content Page 3.3.3 Jordanian Period (1948-1967) 86 3.3.4 Israeli Occupation Period (1967-1994) 89 3.3.5 Palestinian National Authority Period (Since 1994) 93 Chapter Four: Al-Bireh Urban Development 101 4.1 An Overview of Al-Bireh City 102 4.2 Al-Bireh History of Development and Urban Planning 107 4.2.1 Islamic Period 107 4.2.2 Crusader Period 108 4.2.3 Ayyubid Period 108 4.2.4 Ottoman Period (1517 -1917) 108 4.2.5 British Mandate Period (1917 -1948) 109 4.2.6 Jordanian Period (1948 - 1967) 111 4.2.7 Israeli Occupation Period (1967 - 1994) 116 4.2.8 Palestinian National Authority Period (Since 1994) 120 4.3 Challenges of Al-Bireh City Expansion 131 4.3.1 Political Challenges 131 4.3.2 Landownership 132 4.3.3 Land Use classifications 134 4.4 The Emergence of Um Al-Sharayet District 136 Chapter Five: Um Al-Sharayet: A District Evolution in the Context of the Historical Urban Development 139 of Al-Bireh 5.1 An Overview of Um Al-Sharayet District 140 Urbanization and physical urban development of Um 5.2 143 Al-Sharayet 5.2.1 Ottoman Period (1517 -1917) 143 5.2.2 British Mandate Period (1917 -1948) 145 5.2.3 Jordanian Period (1948 – 1967) 146 5.2.4 Israeli Occupation Period (1967 - 1994) 146 5.2.5 Palestinian National Authority Period (Since 1994) 150 Role of Policies and Statutory Planning Laws in Um 5.3 162 Al-Sharayet 5.3.1 Jordanian Period (1948 – 1967) 163 5.3.2 Israeli Occupation Period (1967 - 1994) 165 5.3.3 Palestinian National Authority Period (Since 1994) 167 5.3.4 Brief Evaluation 188 Chapter Six: Conclusion and Recommendations 192 6.1 Conclusion 193 6.2 Recommendations 195 References 201 viii No. Content Page Appendix 218 ﺏ ﺍﻝﻤﻠﺨﺹ ix List of Tables No. Table Page Table (4.1) Land Classifications of Al-Bireh City ) 128 Land ownership classifications within the Table (4.2) 133 organizational boundaries Land-blocks of Um Al-Sharayet District - Adapted Table (5.1) 142 by author from source Horizontal building density of land-blocks in Um Table (5.2) Al-Sharayet District - Adapted by author from 160 source Vertical building density of Al-Bireh City’s land- Table (5.3) 162 blocks - Adapted by author from source Amended floors numbers of residential buildings Table (5.4) during different periods - Adapted by author from 175 source Building regulations and systems for residential Table (5.5) 176 land uses – Adapted by author from source Types and percentages of Building violations in Table (5.6) 178 Um Al-Sharayet – Adapted by author from source x List of Figures No. Figure Page Figure (1.1) Thesis conceptual model 3 Figure (1.2) Thesis plan diagram 9 Figure (1.3) Methodological data collection flowchart 10 Projected percentage increase in urban Figure (2.1) 19 population 2000–2030 Figure (2.2) Forms of Urban Sprawl 38 Unsuitable physical terrain prohibits continuous Figure (2.3) 40 development Schematic Diagram Urban Structure of a Figure (2.4) 48 Developing Country’s City Figure (3.1) Geopolitical map of the West Bank 77 Figure (3.2) West Bank division under Oslo Accords 92 Colony expansion and control of West Bank Figure (3.3) 95 Land Location of Al-Bireh city within the boundaries Figure (4.1) of Palestinian Territories - Adapted by author 103 from source Location of Al-Bireh city according to the Figure (4.2) location of West Bank governorates - Adapted 104 by author from source Location of Al-Bireh city in Ramallah and Al- Figure (4.3) Bireh Governorate - Adapted by author from 105 source Al-Bireh City Boundaries - Adapted by author Figure (4.4) 106 from source (Al-Bireh Municipality, 2016 ) An Aerial view of Ramallah and Al-Bireh in the Figure (4.5) 109 late Ottoman Period An Aerial view of Al-Bireh City in 1944 - Figure (4.6) 110 Adapted by author from source An Aerial view of Al-Bireh in 1967 - Adapted Figure (4.7) 112 by author from source Al-Bireh Municipal border plan during Figure (4.8) Jordanian Period, Urban Expansion before 1966 114 - Adapted by author from source Al-Bireh Municipal border plan during Figure (4.9) Jordanian Period, Urban Expansion in 1966 - 115 Adapted by author from source Al-Bireh Municipal border plan during Israeli Figure (4.10) 119 Period - Adapted by author from source xi No. Figure Page An Aerial view of Al-Bireh City in 1995 - Figure (4.11) 121 Adapted by author from source Al-Bireh Municipal border plan certified by Figure (4.12) Israeli authorities during PNA Period - Adapted 123 by author from source Al-Bireh Boundaries of 2000 and 2003- Figure (4.13) 125 Adapted by author from source Figure (4.14) Al-Bireh Master Plan in 2003 127 Land Classifications of Al-Bireh City and Figure (4.15) Palestinian built-up areas - Adapted by author 129 from source Land Classifications within the organizational Figure (4.16) 130 boundaries of Al-Bireh City Land use classifications according to the current Figure (4.17) 134 master plan 2003 of Al-Bireh Um Al-Sharayet District land-blocks and Figure (4.18) 137 location - Adapted by author from source Location of Um Al-Sharayet District in Figure (5.1) Ramallah and Al Bireh Governorate - Adapted 140 by author from source Location of Um