Mahali, meaning “local” in Arabic, is a grassroots initiative founded in 2019 by residents and activists in Jabal Lweibdeh, one of Amman’s oldest neighbourhoods. It emerged in response to the arrival of international franchises and the growing pressure of gentrification on the locals. The initiative began with collective opposition to the construction of a new building on Al Hawooz Circle that would host a Starbucks branch and overshadow the neighbourhood’s stone buildings. Through door-to-door petitions and community discussions, Mahali mobilised support to challenge commercial conglomerates and demand development that benefits all residents rather than only higher-income groups.
Mahali emphasises the importance of the local neighbourhood, and the small and long-rooted economies it possesses. working to preserve Lweibdeh’s cultural identity and socio-economic diversity. Through participatory approaches; petitions, holding conversations, raising awareness, and amplifying the locals’ voices, Mahali highlights issues such as overcrowding, rising costs, and the decline of public spaces, and upholds residents’ right to shape their neighbourhood, and resisting top-down planning.