Decision-making processes for parkification: Developing an evaluation framework through the transformation of post-industrial sites into urban parks

This study 1 1 This article is based on the data collected by the author for her Ph.D. dissertation; Alrayyan, K. M. (2024). Parkification of Disturbed Landscapes: Uncovering the Process of Transforming Post-Industrial Sites into Urban Parks at Ruseifa, Jordan, Virginia Tech. introduces an evaluation framework to analyze how post-industrial sites are transformed into urban parks through the process of parkification —a term used to describe the transformation of degraded or abandoned industrial landscapes into accessible public green spaces. Grounded in the context of Ruseifa, Jordan—a city shaped by informal settlement patterns, institutionally complex governance, and environmental degradation—the framework helps unpack the layered and negotiated decision-making processes behind such transformations. The study employs a two-phase, multi-method qualitative approach combining document analysis, site visits, and 28 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including municipal officials, decision makers, community representatives, and NGO actors. The data were thematically coded to identify how actors perceive site value, negotiate design choices, and mobilize tools for implementation under varying governance conditions. Through this approach, the study develops a three-stage evaluation model—Perception Assessment, Process Analysis, and Driving Factor Evaluation—structured across four cross-cutting layers: stakeholder roles, landscape patterns, mechanisms of transformation, and governance dynamics. Findings reveal that parkification in Ruseifa unfolds along three distinct trajectories: as a reactive response to environmental degradation, a strategic urban intervention, and an intentional effort to preserve industrial heritage. These trajectories reflect different alignments of power, legitimacy, and transformation strategies among formal and informal actors. While rooted in the case of Ruseifa, the framework offers a transferable method for evaluating parkification in other post-industrial and environmentally disturbed landscapes—particularly in rapidly urbanizing and resource-constrained contexts of the Global South. This research contributes to theory and practice in urban regeneration, landscape transformation, and participatory planning by proposing a grounded, adaptable method for documenting and analyzing parkification in contested urban environments.