In recent years, sustainable urban development has been considered as one of the prevalent theories and policies, and there has been an increasing interest in sustainable communities internationally as well as in Palestine. The establishment of the Palestinian National Authority on parts of the West Bank and Gaza in 1994 had led to massive developmental efforts by the Palestinians in order to deal with the challenges inherited due to 27 years of Israeli occupation. Priority was to correct the distortions caused by the occupation, especially in the infrastructure and in the housing sectors.To consider the specificity of the Palestinian case, where there is scarcity of resources, limited land, shortage of water, and sensitive environment, and since the neighborhood is the basic unit of the cities and communities, this research has been conducted aiming to formulate a strategic framework for sustainable neighborhoods in Palestine. Such framework is envisaged to be the basis for future sustainable development of neighborhoods.

Literature review was conducted to understand the characteristics of sustainable neighborhood internationally and regionally. An analytical approach was then considered to collect and analyze information related toa selected neighborhood.Analysis includes the outcome of interviews with experts in the field of sustainability and strategic planning. Finally, further analysis was conducted for the outcome of held focus groups meetings. SWOT matrix was prepared for the main elements of the sustainable neighborhood to determine external and internal influential factors, identifying then the relevant issues and the priorities. This had led to the formulation of the proposed strategic planning framework.The resulting strategies and actions have been connected to proposed responsibilities to set related policies, regulations, planning guidelines, and design standards.

Conference Title

2nd Palestinian International Graduate Conference on Natural, Medical and Health Sciences and Humanities

Conference Country

Palestine

Conference Date

April 20, 2017 - April 20, 2017

Conference Sponsor

An-Najah National University