Israel Overview The Urban Planning Perspective

From tents to tents…

1948 - 2011

Ancient Cities … easily recognizable names, most are active cities today, some are archeological sites. Source for most of our World Heritage Sites: • Jerusalem, • Acre, • Massada, • The white City of Tel Aviv, • The Biblical Tels (Megiddo,

Hazor, Lachish, Beersheba), • The Incense Route and Desert

Towns (Mamshit, Ovdat, Shivta, Nizana).

Independence and the Sharon Plan 1952

• Main objectives

– Settle the many immigrants and refugees in housing

– Disperse the population to fill the entire area of the newly formed state

IPhP 1952

Independence and the Sharon Plan 1952

IPhP 1952

NOP 31 1993 NOP 35 2005 IMP 2020 1997 IPhP 1952

National Outline Plan 35 – 2005 Main Objectives

NOP 35 2005

• Fully and flexibly provide for the varied demands. • Narrow the gaps between groups and regions: cultural

diversity & instrumental collaboration. • Strengthen cities and discourage suburban sprawl. • Preserve open space, agriculture, rural landscapes and

cultural heritage. • Accelerate development of Public Transport. • Attend to neighboring populations and areas. • Sustainably utilize environmental resources. • Establish a clear and recognizable Spatial Structure:

– Emphasis on Jerusalem, the Negev and the Galilee. – Four metropolitan regions. – The National Green Spine and Green Buffers

Facts & Figures 2009

• Population of 7.6 Million, Growth 1.8%

• Urban 92% in: 220 Cities and Towns

• Agricultural 8% in: 985 Villages

• Area: 22,150 SqKm,

• Average Density: 329 Per/SqKm

High country density but

low city density

City Population Density

[pop/sqKm]

Jerusalem 773,000 6,175

Tel Aviv-Yafo 403,700 7,792

Haifa 265,600 3,853

Rishon LeZiyyon 228,200 3,887

Petah Tiqwa 209,600 5,841

Ashdod 206,400 4,043

Be'er Sheva 194,300 1,654

Holon 184,700 9,760

Netanya 183,200 6,327

Bene Beraq 154,400 21,031

Ramat Gan 145,000 8,908

Bat Yam 130,000 15,913

Rehovot 112,700 4,890

Ashqelon 111,900 2,340

Density of leading world cities

Manhattan 32,000 Ville de Paris 24,000 Barcelona Eixample 35,000 London Camden 14,000

Growth in Israel

• Population

• Households

• Area

• Cars

• Vehicle Km Traveled

2010

7.6M

2M

2.3M

2030

10M

~5M

3.3M

Growth in Israel

34B 70B

Israeli Economy

Source: World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Index, 2009-2010

The World Economic Forum ranked Israel

27th

out of 134 countries for 2009-2010

WEF Global Competitiveness Index 2009-2010

Tel-Aviv Metro Area

43% of Population

on 7% of Area produces 59% of GDP

Tel-Aviv – the 52nd largest metro economy in the world and #50 in GDP per capita

LED in the Context of Cities

LED in a Great City

LED in the Region of a Great City

LED in a Town Outside a Great City Region

LED in a City that is not Great

Beer-Sheba

LED in a Great City

LED in the Region of a Great City

LED in a Town Outside a Great City Region

LED in a City that is not Great

The Great City

in the Region of a Great City

Beer-Sheba

Cities that are not Great

Beer-Sheba

Towns Outside a Great City Region

Beer-Sheba

Due to their poor design - Most Israeli cities do not provide their residents

with the economic, social and cultural opportunities to realize their full potential as individuals or as a

community.

We can do much better!!!

The Social Justice Movement

• Started as a housing crisis.

– What did not lead to the crisis?

– What did lead to the crisis?

– What can be done differently?

– What additional budgets are needed?

– What can be the role of NGOs?

What did not lead to the crisis?

• It is not a lack of land designated and marketed for building – There is more land designated for building than is

need for the next 20 years

• It is not a failure of the “free market” – There is no free market in the Israeli real-estate

market, it is all centrally controlled

• It is not the failure of the bureaucracy to approve enough plans – There are approved plans for over 160,000 dwelling

units that no-one wants to build

What did lead to the crisis?

1. Limits on urban development that do not enable reaching the necessary density for success and prosperity of cities.

2. Mass development of car dependent sleep only suburbs that require their residents to buy cars and waste time and money every day on them.

3. Urban planning that encourages and facilitates construction on open space at the edge of towns while neglecting the inner cities.

4. Design that encourages use of private vehicles and inefficient public transportation based on outdated concepts.

5. Archaic planning system, hierarchical, cumbersome and not committed to the residents nor to promoting the true interests of the state.

What can be done differently?

1. Urban densification in the periphery and intermediate cities. 2. Changes in the urban density policies of Tama35. 3. Preference and promotion for the development of the older

neighborhoods in the city centers rather than in open areas outside the city.

4. Reducing standards and expropriations for "public purposes" in municipal plans.

5. Development of efficient, frequent and convenient public transport.

6. Build neighborhoods with a wide variety of residence types rather than homogeneous neighborhoods for the rich.

7. Reforming the planning system and empowering the local planning committees.

What additional budgets are needed?

• The 52B ₪ annual building budget is plenty!

• The issue is how it is used not how do we increase it.

What can be the role of NGOs?

• Be the catalyst for social change of a social problem that cuts across all populations but afflicts marginalized populations the most – Awareness

• Affordable access to opportunities is tightly linked to city design • Grass roots level as well as government

– Tools • For building cities and towns around people not cars • For participatory planning, budgeting and governance • Model projects based on tools

– Policies • Research to inform policy makers • Lobbying for policy change and participating in committees

– Processes • Translate new policies to processes • Training on new policies and processes

The Regional Opportunity

Israel Overview

nachman@miu.org.il

2011