Professor Jalal Dabbeek of An-Najah University Delivers Keynote Address at the 9th Jordan International Civil Engineering Conference in Amman
Professor Jalal Dabbeek, Director of the Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction Center at An-Najah National University, served as a keynote speaker at the 9th Jordan International Civil Engineering Conference, held in Amman from November 12–13, 2024. The conference gathered a distinguished assembly of experts and specialists in civil engineering from across the region and beyond.
In his keynote address, titled “Toward Resilient Cities and Communities,” Professor Dabbeek explored critical topics at the intersection of urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development. His lecture emphasized the integration of disaster risk reduction strategies with global goals for sustainable development and climate change mitigation, highlighting the need to build resilient nations and communities. Professor Dabbeek also addressed the concepts of risk assessment and management, illustrating his points with case studies on earthquake, war, and flood risks. He called for a paradigm shift from traditional disaster management approaches to a more proactive disaster risk management framework at local and national levels.
Professor Dabbeek further presented an in-depth overview of the “Cities of Tomorrow” project, a collaborative initiative led by the Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction Center in partnership with international organizations. He showcased how decision-support systems can be applied to enable risk-informed urban planning in underdeveloped areas surrounding the city of Nablus. The presentation also included a review of the “Risk Assessment and Resilience Integration in Local Governance” project, which focuses on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Beyond his presentation, Professor Dabbeek engaged with representatives from universities, institutions, and participating delegations to explore future collaboration opportunities. He reached an agreement with the Royal Scientific Society and the Jordan Engineers Association to organize a full-day scientific symposium dedicated to presenting the findings and methodologies of the “Cities of Tomorrow” and “Resilience Integration in Local Governance” projects.
The conference itself provided an invaluable platform for engineers to network and discuss the pressing challenges facing the engineering sector. It fostered interdisciplinary communication between complementary engineering fields and offered opportunities for knowledge exchange and professional development. Participants were exposed to the latest innovations in structural civil engineering, sustainable materials, construction applications, and other cutting-edge topics, all aimed at advancing the engineering profession and opening new horizons for practitioners.
