Israel Overview. The urban planning perspective.

1. Israel Overview
The Urban Planning Perspective
From tents to tents…
1948 - 2011

2. 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).

3. 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

4. Independence and the Sharon Plan 1952
IPhP 1952

5. IPhP 1952 NOP 31 1993 IMP 2020 1997 NOP 35 2005

6. National Outline Plan 35 – 2005
Main Objectives
• 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
NOP 35 2005

7. Facts & Figures 2009 City Population Density
[pop/sqKm]
Jerusalem 773,000 6,175
• Population of 7.6 Million, Growth 1.8% Tel Aviv-Yafo 403,700 7,792
Haifa 265,600 3,853
• Urban 92% in: 220 Cities and Towns Rishon LeZiyyon 228,200 3,887
• Agricultural 8% in: 985 Villages Petah Tiqwa 209,600 5,841
Ashdod 206,400 4,043
• Area: 22,150 SqKm, Be'er Sheva 194,300 1,654
Holon 184,700 9,760
Density of
• Average Density: 329 Per/SqKm Netanya 183,200 6,327
Bene Beraq 154,400 21,031 leading world cities
High country density but Ramat Gan 145,000 8,908 Manhattan 32,000
Bat Yam 130,000 15,913 Ville de Paris 24,000
low city density Rehovot 112,700 4,890 Barcelona Eixample 35,000
London Camden 14,000
Ashqelon 111,900 2,340

8. Growth in Israel

9. Growth in Israel
2010 2030
7.6M 10M
• Population
2.3M 3.3M
• Households
• Area
• Cars 2M ~5M
• Vehicle Km
34B 70B
Traveled

10. Israeli Economy

11. WEF Global Competitiveness Index
2009-2010
The World Economic Forum
ranked Israel
27th
out of 134 countries
for 2009-2010
Source: World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Index, 2009-2010

12. Tel-Aviv – the 52nd largest metro economy in the world
and #50 in GDP per capita
Tel-Aviv Metro Area
43% of Population
on 7% of Area
produces 59% of GDP

13. 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

14. The Great City
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

15. in the Region of
a Great City
Beer-Sheba

16. Cities that are not
Great
Beer-Sheba

17. Towns Outside a Great City Region
Beer-Sheba

18. 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!!!

19. 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?

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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

25. The Regional Opportunity

26. Israel Overview
nachman@miu.org.il
2011