Amman: Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has affirmed sidewalk improvement works across several areas of the capital Amman aim to provide "safe, continuous spaces for pedestrians." These efforts run parallel to initiatives launched to protect greenery, as obstructing trees are relocated and replanted in more suitable sites.
According to Jordan News Agency, the current improvement targets trees that obstruct pedestrian movement on narrow sidewalks, which is a decision made following technical inspections and assessments of each site. The GAM added that sidewalks are a right for pedestrians, particularly children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, to move "safely within their neighborhoods." The GAM noted that it has preserved a "large" number of trees by simply pruning branches that obstructed pedestrian traffic or posed public safety risks.
Transplantable trees are properly moved to nurseries, which would then be replanted in parks and locations that offer the necessary space and conditions for their growth. Meanwhile, trees that fit the sidewalk width and do not obstruct movement remain in their original locations.
In this context, the GAM Agriculture and Forestry Directorate continues to plant between 120,000 and 130,000 saplings annually. This initiative is part of a plan to expand the capital's green areas through a well-studied urban approach that considers suitability of plant species for specific locations and requirements for traffic flow, safety, and utility services.
The directorate noted that these efforts combine environmental improvement with the preservation of green cover, which would make the capital's neighborhoods "more walkable and enhance the overall quality of life." Through photos and videos, the GAM has documented the entire process of relocating transplantable trees, which were prepared in nurseries, and then replanted at alternative sites.