Multi-Criteria Evaluation for Sustainable Urban Growth in An-Nuayyimah, Jordan; Post War Study

The problem of rapid urbanization is one of the most important problems that is threatening agricultural areas. The urban areas during their growth abolish many of the agricultural lands with high fertility value. During the last ten years An-Nuayyimah town lost agricultural lands as a consequence of this sprawl. In addition, nearby region suffered from political instability which in turn led to thousands of Syrians seeking refuge in this town in particular. The population increased from 14,583 in 2010 to 29,128 in 2015. Historically, the stability of political and economic situation and the hospitability of the laws in Jordan encouraged all previous refugees to stay. Therefore, this study aims to define most suitable areas for potential urban growth to preserve agricultural lands in An-Nuayyimah to suite sudden spike population by integrating Geographical Information System (GIS) and Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE). Four criteria were used for urban growth evaluation which includes: Slope, land fertility, distance to urban center, and distance to road. The final suitability map identified four levels for suitability: Very High (area = 3.13 km2), High (area = 5.53 km2), Moderate (area = 3.35 km2), and Low (area = 0.19 km2). At the end, two categories were selected (Very High suitability and High suitability) as the areas most suited for sustainable future urban growth.