Abdali represents the past, present and future of Amman. What once was the Jordanian intelligence headquarters is today an enormous hole in the earth, in which bulldozers prepare for the arrival of the future: a 21st century city center for the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom. With a price tag of $1.5 billion, and covering a total surface area of 350,000 m2, the Abdali Urban Regeneration Project is arguably the largest construction effort Jordan has witnessed to date. The Abdali area is located west of downtown Amman, adjacent to the banking district of Shmeisani, and is home to such landmark buildings as the parliament and King Abdullah Mosque. The Abdali regeneration project is a mixed-use development that aims to create a central business district, complete with both high-end residential and retail elements. In addition, and more ambitiously, the project hopes to relocate the “heart” of the city from what is
