A Quest for Amman’s Identity - Adaptive Reuse of the Raghadan Terminal

Over the past two decades, tourism has significantly influenced urban development, transformation, and reconstruction in Amman, the capital of Jordan. The Raghadan Tourist Regeneration Project has had the greatest effect on the old town’s structure. Situated in the heart of the old city, this area was once the second-largest social and cultural hub for people of all backgrounds in Amman - a universal, open, and undeveloped space that served as both a bus terminal and a marketplace. To attract more international investors and make the area more visually appealing for tourists, the project relocated the original functions in the district to a dedicated site. This has resulted in a building that has negatively affected the identity, authenticity, and socioeconomic diversity of the area. For 15 years, this project has stood as a symbol of abandonment. The aim of this thesis is to explore how architecture can positively transform the identity of such places. Adaptive Reuse offers an alternative for architectural and social change in an old city like Amman.