Translation of an article in "Globes" newspaper 15 December 2005. Written by Hagit Peleg-Rotem

CITY ON A BREAK

Returning humanity to urbanism was the subject of the first conference of MIU (Movement for Israeli Urbanism) this week in Beer-Sheva.

It is said that when God slams a door shut he opens a window.

Hurricane Katarina, which left devastation in its wake two months ago on the southern shore of the United States, surprisingly also created opportunities.

While the media was concentrating on New Orleans, 110 leading architects and urban planners answered Mississippi governor's call and volunteered to plan the rehabilitation of the cities and towns which were devastated along the Mississippi estuary. And so, a strip of shore 114 km. long and 1 km. deep got a detailed, improved, updated plan which takes into account the real opinions and needs of the residents. Approximately 100,000 people who underwent deep trauma and lost their loved ones and homes, were invited to take an active part in the planning marathon and give their input on every stage of the process. As a result, a new and better urban space is supposed to be built, in which the residents can feel at home not only in their homes, but also in the streets and public spaces.

Architect Dhiru Thadani from the U.S., who led one of the planning groups, spoke about the "planning party" in Mississippi. Thadani and his colleague Architect Neal Payton arrived this week in Beer-Sheva to take part in the first MIU conference. MIU is the Israeli chapter of the international movement for New Urbanism. MIU was founded two years ago and is committed to "return life to the city and the city to it's residents".

Architect Dror Gershon, co-founder of MIU together with Architect Irit Solzi and Dr. Yodan Rofe of Ben-Gurion University and others, said in the conference: "the modernistic vision of Le Corbusier and the Israeli interpretation of it have brought us too far. We gave priority to infrastructures and forgot the humane criterion".

Gershon spoke of the "residential machines" by Le Corbusier – serial residential units, in big anonymous neighborhoods, getting further from the cities. The labor and immigrants housing projects from which the social unrest originated in Paris last month was mentioned a few times in the conference.

In Israel, the search for a quality of life offered by the new suburban residential neighborhoods causes the surge of economically able people to these neighborhoods only to spend more and more time in their cars.

"These new neighborhoods exalt wide specious streets, but these streets are fit only for vehicles" continues Gershon, "for pedestrians these streets are exposed to the hot sun during the day and scary during the night. We have to remember that every one of us is a pedestrian when we leave the car. In urban design none of us asks himself if the existing building plan is for a place that is pleasant to live in. It does not exist. We have to start thinking more as people and less as professionals".

SPECIFICALLY IN BEER-SHEVA

Gershon and others in the movement talk about the urban reality of the last few decades, especially from the 70's onward. Leaving the cities and moving to the suburbs is considered a symbol of status and a step up in standard of living, but the neighborhoods are decentralized and far apart and a physical detachedness is the result. It is almost impossible to walk from place to place and only low income residents use public transportation. The dependence on private vehicles caused a preference for wide streets and parking. City centers became less comfortable, aged, empty and degenerated. They serve as temporary transient residences for young people and permanent residences for the elderly population.

MIU sees in revitalizing the urban fabric – including residents, businesses and urban planning – a part of a social process which will also bear fruit in interpersonal relationships. "My vision is a humane, harmonious and sustainable urban environment" says Solzi "creating a park that is pleasant to be in, that is active all day long, in which dog owners meet on their early morning walk, parents with children during the day, youth in the evening and the dog owners again for a final walk at night. Places in which a child will feel good in the street and parents will feel that this is the environment in which they want to raise their children".

The decision to have the conference in Beer-Sheva was not coincidental. For the last few months, MIU has been holding activities of public participation in the planning process in Beer-Sheva. Public participation is one of the principles of New Urbanism. The purpose is to involve residents in decision making processes relating to their neighborhood and give them the tools to influence. This is how positive public participation is created instead of opposition and power struggle between the public, entrepreneurs and the authorities.

JUST LIKE IN AMERICA

In order to start change on a national scale, MIU is striving to bring change in public atmosphere and perception of urbanism as part of the quality of life in our era. "The purpose of MIU is not only a change of priorities in the planning community and authorities, but also a change in the public viewpoint" says Dr. Rofe. "Teaching people to think positively about walking 5 minutes and relinquishing one of two family cars".

This approach is supported by findings of the research department in Thadani 's company in Washington. According to him, the optimal continuous walking distance in wide open space is 1/2 km. – a 5 minute walk. Relinquishing one car per family will bring a saving of 6,000-9,000 dollars a year in the US. In Israel the numbers are lower, but if you take into account the much higher cost of cars, the same numbers apply.

Shelly Hassan, a representative of Koret Foundation (KIEDF), spoke about a test case arousing enthusiasm in which she took part – rehabilitation of Bryant Park – a dark, crime filled site at the heart of Manhattan, near the public library. In the 80's a group of citizens who had enough of the neglect and hazard the park constituted in their neighborhood, initiated a plan to revitalize the park. Following a long and complicated process, the group received the municipality's blessing, a lease and power of attorney for the park. This allowed the group to receive contributions, collect payment from businesses around the park, sell permits to operate stands, and maintain the park. The idea is based on the system of mall management: business owners form an association for the joint management of the site, and pay a fee in return.

The site management is comprised of representatives from every local sector: home owners, business owners and residents. Since the 90's the park has become a place for recreation and play, furnished and maintained, safeguarded by a security company. The park attracts the public to events such as concerts, fairs and open screenings in the summer.

According to Carl Kaplan, managing director of Koret Foundation for promoting small businesses, the foundation sees urban revitalization as an integral part of every plan to expand the economy and create new work places. "We believe that the most effective way is collaboration between the private sector and the public sector, together with philanthropic sources which will fill an important role in leveraging credit for specific projects".

The Foundation promises to seriously consider giving credit to suitable projects.

Additional information:

MIU site: www.miu.org.il

KIEDF Foundation site: www.kiedf.org