The Christian Science Monitor is reporting on the planned
construction
of a new 40,000-person metropolis five miles north of Ramallah.
According to the Monitor, the city dubbed "Rawabi" may be the first
Palestinian city built to a master plan, and it offers a tidy
alternative for upwardly mobile young professionals.
Excerpt:
As the Nablus-born nephew of Palestinian billionaire Munib Masri, Bashar is
no stranger to big ideas. "Palestinians right now - young people - want to move
to the city," Mr. Masri explained as he leaned over a yellow glass desk in his
Ramallah office. "The people we're after are educated and employed. They
studied in English and Arabic, they watch TV, they have traveled, and most of
them have Facebook. They understand a different world than their parents."
For them, Masri offers a revolutionary city. Qatari financing will provide
the first large-scale Palestinian mortgage option for home buyers. Downtown
will include apartments, offices, day care, and theaters. Neighborhoods will
enjoy generous open space and greenery. Masri hopes to break ground in March.
Rami Nasrallah, an urban planner based in East
Jerusalem, said Rawabi reflects changing values. "It's moving the
Palestinians from being restricted to their villages to going to modern
spaces," he says.
Click here to read the full article on the Christian Science
Monitor.
Click here to see Rawabi's corporate website.
Posted
at
6 Nov 2009 11:30 AM
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