City Development Strategy of Tubas City and its Reflection on the Physical Planning of the City

This study aimed mainly to prepare a proposal for a strategic development plan for the city of Tubas and link it to the physical planning of the city. The study included analysis and assessment of the current situation of the city, the strategic analysis and identification of development priorities and the formulation of vision, setting targets and development projects. The relationship between the development strategy and planning of the city was also analyzed. To achieve this goal, concepts and theoretical underpinnings and the literature on strategic planning, city development strategy and its relationship to planning were reviewed. Some of the Arabic and local experiences in strategic development planning were reviewed. The methodology of the study is based on the descriptive, analytical, inductive approaches, and the use of research tools such as interviews with stakeholders and workshops. The results of the study indicated that the city of Tubas has a number of opportunities being the center of Tubas Governorate, in addition to its intermediate location between towns and villages in the region, as well as its agricultural character because of the availability of appropriate weather conditions, fresh water and fertile soil suitable for growing different crops. The results also indicated the difficulties and challenges faced by the city and most important of which is the decline in the agricultural sector after being a major source of income in the Tubas, the increase in poverty due to the Israeli measures in the region, and the lack of incentives for investment in the city, and the absence of private sector role in economic development. The study recommended the need of Tubas Municipality and other related stakeholders to benefit from the outputs of the proposed strategic plan as a basis for loans and support for the implementation of development projects. The study also recommended the need to strengthen and activate the awareness and community participation towards the importance of planning and urban development, and the need to develop the capacity of technical staff in Tubas Municipality, especially in the fields of planning and delivery of basic services. The study also emphasized the need for updating the current master plan of the city and expanding the municipal boundaries to include all residential areas outside these boundaries. In addition, it emphasized promoting the agricultural importance of Tubas city, developing the role of the agricultural sector as the primary source of the economy, and activating the role of the private sector in local economic development.