New Zoning Plan for Damascus Suburb of Harasta

The municipality of Harasta, in Rural Damascus, is seeking approval for a new zoning plan that includes the Al-Ajami area, one of the city’s most war-damaged districts. The proposed plan, which has been submitted to the governorate and is awaiting approval, is meant to re-zone the destroyed area by constructing residential towers and infrastructure services. However, the plan has not yet defined the legal framework that will govern the relationship between the municipality and property owners, and reconstruction conducted by owners and renovation remain prohibited due to the extent of destruction.

Harasta serves as the northern gateway to the Syrian capital and has lost most of its agricultural lands to successive expropriations since the 1960s in favour of various military and civilian ministries and agencies – most notably the Al-Assad Suburb residential complex and the Military Vehicles Administration. Despite this reduction in land area, Harasta became one of the largest cities in East Ghouta before 2011, with a population of around 200,000, thanks to its location at the junction along the Damascus-Homs international highway and the northern and southern ring roads. 

During the war years, the city turned into a battleground, suffering extensive destruction and mass displacement, before coming under government control in 2018 following a reconciliation agreement that imposed restrictions on return and reconstruction in large parts of the city. The current population of Harasta is estimated at around 150,000, after the return of displaced residents from northern Syria and abroad, amid continued deterioration of public services such as electricity, water, and sewage systems.

The Harasta municipality submitted a new zoning plan to the Rural Damascus Governorate a week ago, according to The Syria Report’s correspondent. The plan includes several areas of the city, among them Al-Ajami in the city centre, which suffered extensive destruction and where numerous tunnels were dug beneath residential buildings. This prompted the municipality to prohibit residents from carrying out any construction or renovation work, given that about 80 per cent of the residential buildings in Al-Ajami are severely damaged. The proposed plan seeks to re-zone the Al-Ajami area and expand it from 17.5 hectares to nearly 35 hectares, establishing modern residential towers, gardens, schools, and service facilities. The proposal shows that redeveloping Al-Ajami will be the first phase of a broader project to re-zone other heavily damaged districts in Harasta, which will later be implemented using the same model proposed for Al-Ajami.

The Al-Ajami neighbourhood is one of the largest in Harasta and was included in the city’s old zoning plan. During the war, it became a frontline zone separating opposition forces from the regime, resulting in massive destruction. No residents have returned since, as the municipality has banned the repair or rehabilitation of damaged homes. Due to its importance, the municipality proposed a detailed zoning plan for the neighbourhood that includes its expansion, reorganisation, and reconstruction. According to the technical committees that reviewed the proposal, all buildings in the neighbourhood must be demolished, the rubble cleared, and construction restarted from scratch. The municipality submitted the proposal to the governorate through the East Ghouta Administrative Directorate, which was established after the fall of the Assad regime to oversee all East Ghouta areas in terms of urban planning and public services.

The correspondent noted that the proposed zoning plan did not clarify the legal framework under which the area would be re-zoned, nor the legal relationship between the Harasta municipality and the rightful property owners in Al-Ajami. A municipal official told The Syria Report that the current priority is to obtain the governorate’s approval for the plan, after which the legal details regarding property rights and mechanisms for handling them will be discussed.

Implementing the proposed zoning plan would require significant resources beyond the capacity of both the municipality and the governorate. According to municipal sources, this makes the participation of private companies – potentially firms from Arab countries – likely, given the scale of the work needed in such a devastated area.

During a field visit to Harasta, The Syria Report observed clear signs of renewed civilian activity despite the extensive destruction that still defines the city’s landscape. Ruined and cracked buildings remain widespread, while some neighbourhoods – particularly Al-Ajami – resemble ghost towns. 

Several real estate agents confirmed that some Harasta residents have begun renovating their damaged homes at their own expense, despite the high costs and the absence of any municipal support. One agent noted that repairing a structurally damaged house could cost between USD 10,000 and USD 20,000, while its market value would not exceed USD 25,000.

Other agents said some contractors are entering into agreements with owners to share the property equally – 50 percent each – after renovation or reconstruction. Residents reported that several aid organisations visited the city months ago to assess the damage and photograph destroyed buildings, but have not provided any tangible assistance to date. Property agents also pointed out that real estate prices and rents have risen sharply due to growing demand for housing in recent months. Rent for a house on Harasta’s main road can now reach around  USD 200 per month, despite the lack of basic services in the city.

The new zoning plan in Harasta reflects a growing trend among municipalities in Rural Damascus to reintroduce urban redevelopment projects in war-damaged areas after the fall of the Assad regime. However, the absence of a clear legal framework defining the relationship between municipalities and rightful owners raises concerns that these projects could become tools for redistributing property ownership without real guarantees for the original proprietors. Given the financial insolvency of local municipalities and their likely reliance on private companies for implementation, reconstruction in Harasta remains subject to unstable factors, ranging from limited resources to conflicts of interest over land and housing ownership in the city’s most devastated districts.