2017: Ginot Ha'ir | Talpiot Mizrach
19.05.17 | Shmuel HaNavi - Planning and Managing Shared Spaces in an Ultra-Orthodox Community
In a tour conducted in partnership with Eshkolot Community Center, participants examined the delicate balance between cultural sensitivity and municipal creativity. Shmuel HaNavi is an ultra-orthodox neighborhood with unique, and deceptively diverse opinions regarding ownership, public spaces, and what constitutes appropriate public conduct. Tour participants discussed the role of planners as they attempt to satisfy municipal goals within unique, cultural contexts.
Link to Background Information Handout (Hebrew)
21.04.17 | Nachalat Shiva - Private and Public Interests in the Heart of Downtown
This tour was led by the Lev Ha’ir Community Center as well as local urban planners and community organizers. City Centers not only belong to the people living upstairs, but to all of the city’s residents. They serve as a sort of “living room” for the city, in that they provide a place to meet, eat, and enjoy public spaces and institutions. In a capital city such as Jerusalem, ownership is split even more ways, as the center of the city is seen not only as the heart of the city, but also in many ways, the country. In our tour of Nachalat Shiva, we explored the tensions between public-social and private-economic interests, and questioned the proper balance between accommodating foreign and Israeli tourists, and satisfying neighborhood residents.
4.3.17 | Ginot Ha'ir (City Gardens) - Development of public space in a well established neighborhood
About 20 planning students, members of the clinic, and Jerusalem residents toured the Ginot Ha’Ir area as part of a discussion on urban renewal and public participation in planning. The tour was coordinated by representatives of the Ginot Ha’Ir Community Center, which serves nine historic Jerusalem neighborhoods including: Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Rehavia, Kiryat Shmuel, Talbieh, Old Katamon, the German Colony, and the Greek Colony. These neighborhoods are characterized by stylish, historic homes and affluent residents. In neighborhoods such as these, public participation in the planning process is generally high. While public participation is always the ideal, it can also produce obstacles such as NIMBYism and resistance to change. During the tour we learned about the development of public spaces within an already well-established neighborhood.
Link to Full Description (Hebrew)
30.03.17 | Beit Hanina - An Example of the Unique Developmental Challenges Faced by East Jerusalem Neighborhoods
Beit Hanina is a Palestinian Neighborhood in East Jerusalem. For most of the Jewish Israelis on the tour, this was their first time visiting. During this fascinating tour, we saw the differences in development of the neighborhood before and after 1967, and delved into the unfamiliar territory of statutory planning, and its effects on communities that were largely informally built. We were impressed by the exceptional community work being carried out by the local administration, especially in the face of political, and physical barriers. We examined one of these barriers, the separation wall, and the challenges it imposes on planning initiatives and the daily life of the neighborhood’s residents.
Link to Background Information Handout (Hebrew)
10.03.17 | Talpiot - An industrial neighborhood on the verge of urban renewal
Talpiot is a southern Jerusalem neighborhood characterized by its expansive industrial zone, block style apartments, and immigrant roots. Today, the area is on the verge of major plans to increase density, raze-and-rebuild outdated apartment buildings, and rejuvenate industrial spaces for communal use. Our tour, which included around 20 students, professionals, and residents, was guided by Talpiot community urbanner Adi Peri, along with community social worker Liron Gantz. Together we explored the possible ramifications of these dramatic, and rapid changes, as well as the what affect they might have on the future physical, demographic and social fabric of the neighborhood.
Link to Background Information Handout (Hebrew)
Link to Full Description (Hebrew)
Friday Tours (2016): Bukharim | Talpiot Mizrach
4.3.16 | Talpiot Mizrach
Our tour to the neighborhood that the Brits once defined as "forbidden for residential development" dealt with the various challenges posed by topography and political unrest in the area. Can the new revitalization plan, initiated by the ministry of housing, help improve issues of mobility and neglected public spaces?
22.1.16 | Bukharim
Our first tour of the year focused on the Ultra-Orthodox city center: the Bukharim neighborhood. The community urban planner and the municipal planner of the borough discussed their working relations with the different communities, the balance between the functions of a city center and the demands of a separatist population, and the potential of participatory planning for advancing a more child friendly public space.
Friday Tours (2015):
Romema | katamonim | City center | Kiryat yovel | At-tur | Gilo
26.12 | Romema
Our first Friday tour took place in Romema neighborhood. The event dealt with the conflict between the need to develop lands designated for public use and the need to respond to the demands for housing in the Ultra-orthodox local community. This was showcased by the current master plan for the re-designation of a local industrial area.
Click for the summary book (Hebrew) >>
23.1 | Katamonim
The tour to Katamonim neighborhood dealt with the social impact of a large scale raze and rebuild plan that is expected to radically alter the nature of the current community and built environment. The tour offered the local leadership's perspective on issues such as social and economic gaps in the area, public participation, planning of green areas and more.
Click for the summary book (Hebrew) >>
27.2 | City Center
The tour to the city center focused on conflicts and tensions in the process of economic development as showcased by a failed private commercial center that is being gradually transformed by various civil society organizations. It also offered insights into the special place of residents in the city center, and the local leadership dilemma between the municipal urban policy of sustainable planning for pedestrian and culture spots and the residents' needs for motor accessibility and social services.
Click for the summary book (Hebrew) >>
20.3 | Kiryat HaYovel
The tour focused on long term public participation agenda through a local planning process of a city park in the neighborhood. The project included creative methods for public learning and conflict resolution, dealing with conflicting narratives of local history and issues of memorialization and more. The guides also offered their insights following their experience with organizing local resistance to a raze and rebuild project in the adjacent street.
Click for the summary book (Hebrew) >>
8.5 | A-tur
The tour dealt with the challenges of planning in an atmosphere of constant conflict. What are the implications of plans ignoring existing housing? Can alternative planning induce change? How do we plan public buildings where almost all the lands are privately owned?
Click for the summary book (Hebrew) >>
19.6 | Gilo
The tour focused on a raze and rebuild project that includes a large share of public housing, an uncommon occurrence in the Israeli context. A guided tour with the community planner, the borough planner, a leader of the local "Urban Kibbutz" and the social worker explained how they view the history leading to the closing of what used to be an immigration center, the way the different communities share the space and what would or should be the regeneration plan for this unique location.