Heritage conservation and urban development : A supporting management model for the effective incorporation of archaeological sites in the planning process

Jordan is blessed with valuable archaeological vestiges that date back to several significant decades. The uncontrolled rapid urban sprawl due to different political, social and economic reasons and the absence of a well-articulated conservation plan that ensures the effective integration of archaeological treasure in the planning process has led to the irreversible deterioration of the physical fabric harmony leaving a deep negative impact on the archaeological sites and their surroundings. The aim of this paper is to formulate a supporting organic management model that guides the conservation of archaeological sites setting in urban contexts in Jordan, in a harmonious holistic way that combines heritage conservation and urban development, archaeological site and its surrounding, theory and practice, international attitude with the local cases qualifications' based on international ethics and guidelines. The resultant model provides a structure for approaching any complex situation and for designing appropriate solutions intended to conserve the site's cultural significance. Moreover, the model enables moving through different disciplines to reach the goal of preservation and can be easily broken into subsystems to tolerate the interdisciplinary nature of the research problem.