Copyright 2013 Majd Abdallah Nemer Musa CONSTRUCTING GLOBAL AMMAN: PETRODOLLARS, IDENTITY, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN THE EARLY TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BY MAJD ABDALLAH NEMER MUSA DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013 Illinois Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor John Charles Stallmeyer, Chair Associate Professor Lynne Marie Dearborn Professor D. Fairchild Ruggles Associate Professor Kenneth M. Cuno ii Abstract This study investigates the influences of capital flows, particularly petrodollars from the Gulf states, to Amman in the early twenty-first century on the city’s urban built environment. The study is carried out through an in-depth analysis of three case studies of contemporary megaprojects in Amman: the Abdali New Downtown, Sanaya Amman, and Jordan Gate. The research methods include reviewing relevant theoretical work and historical and contemporary resources on Amman and its built environment, analyzing advertising discourse on the study cases, conducting site visits, and interviewing stakeholders. The study concludes that capital flows to Amman led to the introduction of new urban forms and functions to the city, significantly transforming the city’s built environment and influencing the city residents’ identity in ways that mostly served the interest of capital. Capital flows produced several upscale mixed- use megaprojects, large-scale developments including high-end office, residential, shopping, and entertainment spaces, as modern, spectacular, upscale commodified spaces for display and consumption. Amman’s megaprojects showed commonalities in shape and function with megaprojects in other cities, particularly in the Gulf. However, the processes that produced Amman’s megaprojects were different than the processes that produced megaprojects in other cities. As a globally recognizable type of development serving functions and creating images similar to those of megaprojects in cities of high global standing, the city’s megaprojects served as a means to construct global Amman. These megaprojects and the advertising discourse surrounding them represented the city residents as modern, primarily as consumers and technologically advanced similar to their counterparts in modern cities, enhancing the modern city image and advancing the construction of global Amman. iii IN MEMORY OF MOM AND FOR DAD, MAHA, GHASSAN, MAY, AND BASSAM iv Acknowledgments I could not have completed this dissertation, or other PhD degree requirements, without the emotional and financial support of my beloved family in Amman, Jordan. I will always remain very grateful to my wonderful mom who sadly did not live to see this work completed. No one would have been happier and more proud today than Mom – may her soul rest in peace. I am so thankful to my amazing dad and siblings Maha, Ghassan, May, and Bassam. It is difficult to find words that adequately express how appreciative I am and how much I love them. I am thankful as well to the Fulbright program for supporting the first two years of my studies through a Fulbright Foreign Student Fellowship, and to the AMIDEAST/Jordan staff in Amman, who, along with the Fulbright personnel, followed up on my PhD applications and advised me regarding living and studying in the U.S. At the University of Illinois, I benefitted from several fellowships: Alan K. and Leonarda F. Laing Memorial Fellowship, Ernest L. and Reba E. Stouffer Fellowship, and University Fellowship. I am especially grateful to my advisor and doctoral committee chair Prof. John Charles Stallmeyer for his continuous support and encouragement, for the helpful courses and readings I took with him, for the insightful discussions we had, and for his valuable input throughout this work. Thanks to Prof. D. Fairchild Ruggles, Prof. Lynne Marie Dearborn, and Prof. Kenneth M. Cuno for serving on my committee and for their thoughtful comments on the drafts of this dissertation, and thanks to Prof. Cuno for the useful readings I did with him, which enlightened this dissertation. I am also thankful to Prof. James Hay and Prof. Thomas Schwandt for their courses, which informed this work. v Thanks to the Graduate Office at the Department of Architecture, particularly to Ms. Molly Helgesen and Mr. Christopher Wilcock, for their continuous support. Thanks also to the staff of the University’s libraries and International Students and Scholars Services who have always impressed me with their professionalism. Thanks to my friends in Champaign-Urbana and Amman. Thanks to the research participants, architects, and other professionals in Amman for their valuable contributions. Finally, thanks to Prof. Mohammad al-Asad, Prof. Rami Daher, and Dr. Stephen McIlwaine for the great recommendation letters they had provided, which, together with my other strong credentials, earned me admission to this PhD program. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES …………………………………………………………………………..... ix LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………………………………..… xv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND EXPLANATION OF THE DISSERTATION STRUCTURE …………………………… 1 RESEARCH OVERVIEW ……………………………………………………………… 1 PROBLEM STATEMENT ……………………………………………………………… 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS …………………………………………………………...… 4 STUDY SCOPE …………………………………………………………………………. 5 WHY THIS STUDY? ………………………………………………………………….... 7 RESEARCH STRUCTURE …………………………………………………………… 14 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW …………………………………………………........ 16 GLOBALIZATION ………………………………………………………………….… 16 CAPITAL ……………………………………………………………………………..... 40 IDENTITY …………………………………………………………………………...… 56 DISCOURSE ………………………………………………………………………...… 73 A CONCLUDING NOTE …………………………………………………………........ 87 CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH METHOD …………..... 89 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ……………………………………………………... 89 RESEARCH METHOD …………………………………………………………….....104 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH CONTEXT ……………………………………………………... 120 SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC MAKEUP ……………………………………...… 120 ECONOMY ………………………………………………………………………...….127 vii IDENTITY ……………………………………………………………………………. 135 THE URBAN BUILT ENVIRONMENT …………………………………………….. 147 OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY CASES …………………………………………….... 176 CHAPTER 5: CONSTRUCTING GLOBAL AMMAN THROUGH THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ………………………………………………………………. 196 CREATIVE DESTRUCTION ……………………………………………………...… 196 THE IMAGE ………………………………………………………………………...... 205 COMMODIFIED SPACES ………………………………………………………...… 236 CHAPTER 6: IDENTITY IN AND THROUGH AMMAN’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT ……………………………………………………………………. 259 THE TRIBAL JORDANIAN VERSUS THE OTHER …………………………......... 259 THE MUSLIM JORDANIAN …………………………............................................... 262 THE ARAB JORDANIAN ………………………….................................................... 274 THE MODERN JORDANIAN ………………………….............................................. 277 CHAPTER 7: GLOBAL AMMAN, IDENTITY, AND REAL-ESTATE ADVERTISING DISCOURSE ………………………………………………………………. 293 GLOBAL AMMAN AND ADVERTISING DISCOURSE ………………………….. 293 AMMAN RESIDENTS’ IDENTITY AND ADVERTISING DISCOURSE ……...… 325 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………. 341 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ……………………………………………………. 342 KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY AND THEIR THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS …………………………………………………………………....... 343 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ……………………………… 364 CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………………………….. 366 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………………….. 367 viii APPENDIX A: LIST OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS...………………………………… 402 APPENDIX B: IRB APPLICATION …………................……………………………...…… 405 ix LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 4.1. AMMAN’S POPULATION BETWEEN THE EARLY 1960S AND LATE 1970S …………………………………………………………………………… 122 FIGURE 4.2. DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION AMONG AGE GROUPS IN JORDAN …………………………………………………………………………………... 126 FIGURE 4.3. VIEW OF AN EARLY-1900S CIRCASSIAN HOUSE IN JABAL AL-QAL’A …………………………………………………………………………………… 149 FIGURE 4.4. VIEW OF THE 1930S MUNICIPALITY OF AMMAN BUILDING IN THE DOWNTOWN ………………………………………………………………………. 151 FIGURE 4.5. VIEW OF THE 1940S AL-BILBEISI HOUSE IN JABAL AMMAN ……….. 152 FIGURE 4.6. VIEW OF THE THE INSURANCE BUILDING ON THE FIRST CIRCLE IN JABAL AMMAN ……………………………………………………………….. 156 FIGURE 4.7. VIEW OF KING ABDULLAH I MOSQUE IN THE ABDALI AREA IN CENTRAL AMMAN …………………………………………………………………...… 159 FIGURE 4.8. VIEW OF AL-HUSSEIN HOUSING SUBURB (DAHIYAT AL-HUSSEIN LI AL-ISKAN) FOR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ……………………… 160 FIGURE 4.9. VIEW OF THE HOUSING BANK CENTER IN THE SHMEISANI AREA IN WESTERN AMMAN ………………………………………………………...…… 161 FIGURE 4.10. VIEW OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PETRA, AIRPORT ROAD …………………………………………...…. 164 FIGURE 4.11. VIEW OF OFFICE BUILDINGS WITH COMMERCIAL FLOORS AT THE BASE, JABAL AL-HUSSEIN ……………………………………….….. 165 FIGURE 4.12. INTERIOR VIEW OF THE SAFEWAY STORE IN THE SHMEISANI AREA – ONE OF THE FIRST DEPARTMENT STORES IN AMMAN …………………… 165 FIGURE 4.13. VIEW OF CONSTRUCTION SITES IN THE ABDALI AREA, CENTRAL AMMAN, LOOKING EAST ……………………………………………………. 170 FIGURE 4.14. VIEW OF THE ABDOUN BRIDGE IN WESTERN AMMAN …………….. 171 FIGURE 4.15. VIEW OF THE SKYLINE OF AMMAN FROM THE DABOUQ AREA, WESTERN AMMAN, LOOKING EAST ……………………………………...……. 173 x FIGURE 4.16. VIEW OF A WESTERN AMMAN AREA FROM WADI SAQRA INTERSECTION, LOOKING WEST ……………………………………………...………… 173 FIGURE 4.17. VIEW OF A SHOPPING MALL ON MECCA STREET IN WESTERN AMMAN ……………………………………………………………...…………. 174 FIGURE 4.18. VIEW OF A FAST-FOOD BUILDING ON AL-MEDINA AL-MUNAWWARA STREET IN WESTERN AMMAN …………………………...………