National Guide Project for Spatial Development Indicators for Regional Planning in Syria

 Today, the Higher Institute of Regional Planning held a workshop to launch a national guide for spatial development indicators for regional planning in Syria. The event was attended by President of Damascus University, Professor Dr. Muhammad Osama Al-Jabban, Professor Imad Al-Omar from the Executive Office of the National Union of Syrian Students, and representatives from various ministries. The workshop aimed to localize indicators for spatial development at regional and local levels, drawing from global indicators related to sustainable development. The event took place in the main meeting hall of the Reda Saeed Conference Center.

During the workshop, Professor Ghada Bilal, Dean of the Higher Institute of Regional Planning, delivered a presentation emphasizing the significant role of the Institute in localizing spatial development indicators at regional and local levels. She highlighted the use of global indicators related to sustainable development and purpose-based indicators to guide spatial planning efforts. Professor Bilal stressed the importance of identifying and evaluating indicators in shaping spatial development plans, following President Bashar al-Assad's directives regarding the crucial emphasis on spatial dimension in planning within the Syrian Arab Republic.

Dr. Rima Haddad, Head of the Regional Planning Commission, emphasized the significance of the natural landscape, heritage, and tourism. She underscored the critical role of landscape indicators as valuable tools for assessing the resources, characteristics, and overall significance of a specific area.

Dr. Maysoon Eid, Deputy Dean of the Higher Institute of Regional Planning, and Dr. Nisreen Salama, Head of the Regional Structural/Urban Planning Department, emphasized that urban planning stimulates balanced economic and social growth while aligning with environmental and urban conditions, local potential, and the needs of the population.

Dr. Jalal Fandi, Dr. Shamil Badran, and Dr. Ahmed Al-Haj Ahmed underscored the workshop's significance in guiding regional plans towards optimal direction by providing indicators that emphasize the spatial specificity of natural resources and their role in supporting and enhancing human regional plans.

Dr. Osama Darwish and Dr. Hossam Soliman highlighted the importance of the Infrastructure and Logistics Department and stated that the workshop aims to identify the key indicators for the infrastructure and logistics sectors, which are essential for developing regional and national plans in line with sustainability goals.

It is noteworthy that the Higher Institute of Regional Planning is considered one of the actors in the reconstruction process on a sustainable development basis, in addition to being considered a house of expertise and a scientific reference that leads scientific and applied cooperation and coordination with relevant government agencies, experts and researchers in the fields of spatial planning.