May 30, 2014
Alan Plattus and Andrei Harwell of Yale led an intensive workshop in May to develop detailed designs and recommendations for the proposed Israeli-Jordanian Jordan River Peace Park, to be the first peace park in the Middle East. The 2,000-acre park would cross the border between Israel and Jordan on the lower Jordan River and comprise the historic Old Gesher bridge compound, Peace Island, an Ottoman customs house, an abandoned hydroelectric power plant, and a Bauhaus-style train station on the former Ottoman-built Hejaz Railway. Among the short-term projects planned are a small interpretive and visitor’s center, a Jordan River promenade, and a craft workshop.
