Updating the National Spatial Plan in Line with Implementing the SDGs

The importance of spatial planning has been highlighted throughout Syria’s recovery era. Although a draft national framework of regional planning was developed in 2012, it was not adopted owing to numerous impediments, crises, and significant alterations. During the recovery period, there has been a significant need to update the national framework to ensure that more appropriate ways with reality are used in a way that preserves the available natural resources and will support national efforts to adopt the New Urban Agenda and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This chapter will first define the framework of the National Spatial Plan, which provides a general view of the strategies in seven main areas, economy and infrastructure, urban development, demography, heritage, tourism, and natural resources, as well as their importance, and then present an analysis of the updating process, explaining phases, main activities, methodology, and the actors involved, primarily to highlight the parts that emphasize compatibility with the SDGs. However, this plan will not be feasible unless a comprehensive approach and good governance have been adopted by mainly governmental actors.