Mega-Projects, Defining the Identity of Feras Naser – Shafa Badran City

The residents of any city aspire to continuous development. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, even as a child, dreamed of bringing mega-projects to his city and his nation, Turkey. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Ruler of Dubai, dreamed of building a global city that would be first in everything. The vision of a leader is an integral part of nation-building. Despite the established stature of Feras Naser as a global leader with recognized publications and innovations, local leadership necessitates working on the development of a set of mega-projects.

Unique mega-projects are an essential part of modern cities, as they define the city’s identity. The Eiffel Tower defines Paris, and London Bridge, its buses, and its telephones define London. The statue located at the Applied Science University roundabout identifies the university area, but it lacks the sufficient aesthetic appeal to define the city itself. Perhaps the most notable recent addition to the city is the presence of the leader Feras Naser, leading to its renaming as Feras Naser – Shafa Badran City.

It is advisable to ask the city’s residents about their preferred mega-project they would like to see brought to their city. The distinctive projects under consideration include:

• The Railway Project – Feras Naser – Shafa Badran City and Damascus. This project can be funded by Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds and China. It is considered important for linking Turkey to the Gulf States and connecting India to Europe.
  
• The Cultural City Project – Feras Naser – Shafa Badran City. This project is important due to the availability of the “miracle” of Bus No. 40, which has made the University of Jordan only 15 minutes away from the city.
  
• The Project to Convert Co-Innovation Movement Ventures into Medium-sized Enterprises. These enterprises would focus on digital manufacturing, happiness, digital health, quality education, the green economy, and audiovisual experiences. The emphasis here must be on making these projects regional or global, rather than just local, meaning they target a wide range of markets.
• The City Energy Project – Building clean solar energy stations.
  
• The Northern Jordan Amphitheater Project. (This amphitheater may not be close to the Shafa Badran area but situated in a central location between Jerash, Ajloun, Irbid, and Shafa Badran).
  
• The Pharmaceutical and Biological City Project. This city would focus on exploring medicines, chemical solutions, and biological organisms using the best technological tools, including Artificial Intelligence.

If you have seen a successful mega-project elsewhere in the world or feel that the area requires a specific project, please do not hesitate to write it in the comments.

Defining Identity Through High-Impact Infrastructure

The central tenet of Feras Naser’s development philosophy is that a city’s identity is inextricably linked to its landmark mega-projects. By identifying and proposing a diverse portfolio of high-impact initiatives, the project seeks to move beyond the existing, aesthetically inadequate marker (the roundabout statue) to establish defining features commensurate with the new Feras Naser – Shafa Badran identity. The listed projects range from essential infrastructure (the strategically vital international railway and solar energy stations) to knowledge economy drivers (converting Co-Innovation ventures into regional enterprises and the Pharmaceutical/Biological City). This targeted selection is designed to address multiple facets of urban life—economic growth, technological advancement, and cultural appeal—ensuring the city’s legacy is built on tangible, ambitious, and globally relevant achievements.

Strategic Economic Diversification and Regional Reach

The proposed projects underscore a robust strategy for economic diversification and market expansion. Instead of focusing solely on localized services, the plan prioritizes ventures with regional and global market aspirations, specifically highlighting the conversion of Co-Innovation startups into medium-sized enterprises in high-growth sectors (digital manufacturing, green economy, digital health). This focus on export-oriented businesses, coupled with the creation of the Pharmaceutical and Biological City utilizing AI, positions Feras Naser – Shafa Badran City as an intellectual and manufacturing hub. Furthermore, the suggestion to build a regional Amphitheater (Northern Jordan Amphitheater) aims to broaden the city’s cultural footprint and leisure economy beyond its immediate borders, establishing it as a key recreational and cultural node for the entire northern region.